A Loud Accident
by SirRavenMacbeth
Summary: On the first day of the last week of school, Vanzilla breaks down and the Louds have to walk to school. On their way, Lincoln gets hurt saving the lives of his sisters and loses his legs. Now, with the help of a few friends, they must put the pieces of their family back together. Will the Loud House ever be the same or will they spiral into depression?
1. Lincoln

A/N:

Hello, this is my first attempt at writing anything and my grammar is not very good. I have been quite ill for the last 9 months or so and can't work or go to college. So I'm very bord and decided to try something different. Please, feel free to comment on how I write, good or bad, or if you just want to talk.

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It was six o'clock in the morning on a Monday in the Loud house. It was winter and snowing lightly outside.

Alarms were just beginning to go off and the sounds of eleven pairs of feet could be heard hitting the floor as the Loud children got up to start their day.

One after another, they left their rooms and began to make their way to the bathroom. As the eldest, lori, walked in to take a shower, 8 of the girls, (Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, the twins Lana and Lola, and the second youngest Lisa, and their sole brother, Lincoln, all lined up in wait.

One by one they finished their morning bathroom rituals and went off to their rooms to get dressed and ready for their day at school.

Being the first dressed and packed for school, Lincoln left and grasped the youngest of the sisters, lily. He then proceeded down the stairs and made his way to the kitchen.

He placed lily into her high chair and began to prepare breakfast. He mixed up some pancake batter, adding chocolate chips and put them on to cook. In a separate pan he started cooking bacon and in another he cooked eggs.

As he continued to cook breakfast he could hear the sound of his sisters starting to live up to their name. He could hear the twins arguing and lori talking to her boyfriend, Bobby, on her phone. He could hear Lynn kicking what he could only guess to be a ball of some sort. He could hear the sounds of Luna's guitar and Luan telling puns to which he could hear his sisters groaning.

Lincoln continued to prepare the food as a smile slowly started to appear on his face. He couldn't help but to feel happy this morning and he didn't know why, nor did he care.

He began humming a random song as he started to plate up the food and throw some hash browns into the pan with the bacon grease to give it more flavor. He then put on a pot of coffee to brew.

After he finished plating the food he set it out onto the tables with silverware and drinking glasses. As he set down the last plate he walked out of the kitchen to the base of the stairs. "Breakfast is ready"! he called up to his sisters. "Come and eat before it gets cold".

The noise form his sisters stopped for a second before instantly starting up agan twice as loud. As soon as he got back to the kitchen he heard his sisters coming down the stairs. He started to fill his older sisters' coffee cups and placed them down at their places, when his sisters began walking into the dining room.

He could hear that the noise started to grow silent as the girls saw before them the bounties of Lincoln's hard work. He placed the last of the coffee and turned toward them, smiling brightly he spoke. "Come on, sit and eat before it gets cold".

The girls all smiled and took their seats noticing that Lincoln even cooked their eggs the way they each liked them. Lincoln brought lily her food and set it down before her.

Lily looked up at Lincoln and giggled before saying, "anks inkon". Causing their older sisters to "aw" at how adorable it was before they began to butter and pour maple syrup onto their pancakes.

Lincoln sat down with his older sisters and prepared his pancakes as well. As he was pouring syrup onto his cakes, Luna looked up at him and asked, "Hey Linc. Not to sound rude or ungrateful, but why did you prepare such an awesome breakfast?" They all nodded in agreement and Lincoln chuckled before he spoke.

"I don't know why, I kind of just felt like doing something special for my sisters. I woke up in a great mood this morning and decided, why not." He answered. They all look at him and "awed" again as they all started to thank him.

After they all ate their fill they brought their dirty dishes to the sink for after school. They then all headed out the door after grabbing their school supplies and winter clothing.

They all piled into vanzilla and lori put the keys into the ignition. As she turned the keys to start the engine, it mad a loud sputtering, clicking noise before dying completely. "Dang it." Lori said. "Sorry guys, looks like we'll have to walk to school."

"Awe, come on." Every one complained as they got out of vanzilla. "Listen I don't want to walk in the snow either. But if we don't at least try to get to school today mom and dad won't be very happy". Lori told them. "But if it starts to snow too hard than we will have to just come back home. Deal?" Lori asked. "Deal." They all said as they began their trek to school.

"Today isn't the day to be making jokes about the weather. Its no joke. Ha ha get it?" Laun joked and everyone groan.

"Oh come on, there's no need to give me the cold shoulder! Ha! Ha!"

As again they groaned, Lori looked over at Luan and said. "One more joke and I'll turn you into a human pretzel."

"Hey chill out" Luan giggled and Lori shot her a deadly glare. "Wow, no need for the cold stare." She said as she grinned. They soon started to argue and then the twins started. Soon all of the girls where yelling at one another.

Not wanting to get in the middle of it, Lincoln let out a sigh and slowly started to walk a little slower. As the arguing continued, Lincoln took a look around and noticed that the road next to them was looking rather shiny and crystal clear.

Realizing that the road had a large sheet of black ice on it that stretched across the width of the road and went down about fifty feet of the road. He told his sisters to be careful where they step. It became apparent that they couldn't hear him and he was about to yell to get their attention when Lincoln heard a strange noise.

Turning around to find the source of the noise he looked in shock as a car was speeding towards them. Before he could warn his sisters, the car hit the ice and started to spin out of control. With out thinking Lincoln ran forward and shoved his sisters as hard as he could out of the way.

Like a line of human dominoes they fell into a snow bank, getting a bit scrapped up along with a bit of bruising. Before the girls could yell out in protest they heard a loud thump and a blood curdling scream. Then there was a loud smash of glass shattering and metal being crushed.

Confused and in shock the girls slowly pulled themselves out of the snow bank and looked around. At first all they could see was a car folded around a tree, with a rather confused looking man at the wheel.

What they noticed next made their blood run colder than the ice. There was a trail of blood that went from across the road to their side. At the end of said trail was a horrifying site. Lincoln was on his stomach with his arms out stretched. He was dragging him self across the road toward them.

He saw them and in a voice that could barely be heard he said, "Oh good. Your safe." With tears running down his face his arms gave out from under him and his head smacked into the ground with an audible smash, cracking the ice from the force.

Snapping out of their daze, Lori and Luna limped over to Lincoln and started to help him. Lori pulled out her phone and called 911. While Luna had started to look over Lincoln. It was then that she realized the gravity of the situation. Lincoln was bleeding from his legs and they were twisted in all the wrong directions and even bent in places they should not be bending.

Coming to her senses luna rolled Lincoln over and gasped at what she saw. Not having time to dwell on how he looked she took off her coat and sweat shirt she began to tear apart her sweat shirt, using the prices to rap around his bleeding legs. She kept wrapping his legs to try to stop the bleeding.

While luna was tending to Lincoln's wounds lori was trying to turn her phone on. But found that when she fell it got destroyed. Panicking, a little lori ran to her sisters and asked for a phone.

Still in shock no one moved at first, but after a few seconds the sisters were searching through all their pockets looking for a phone. Finally luan pulled out her phone and handed it to lori. Lori finally called 911 and they said that they would be there in a few minutes.

While the two sisters were hard at work the other sisters looked on in horror at the cite before them. The twins were holding each other while crying. Lucy had fallen to her knees holding Lily and she was shaking in terror as tears started to flow from her eyes, behind her hair and down her cheeks.

Leni was trying to get Lucy to calm down while fighting back her own tears. Lisa was just standing there in shock, not moving a muscle. While Luan and Lynn started to move forward to help with Lincoln, until they hear a noise behind them.

They turned around and saw that the driver from the car had gotten out. He started to stumble up to them and when he saw Lincoln he looked down at him. "Aw, fucking hell." He said. He started to limp back away towards his car when he tripped and fell forwards, causing the contents of his pockets to come falling out.

Upon seeing the empty alcohol bottle smash on the ground and the flask land next to it, Lynn suddenly got mad and charged at him. She tackled him to the ground and started to punch him in the face, until luan ran over and pryed her off of him.

Stunned and drunk out of his mind the man just laid there as luan held onto a furious Lynn. She was screaming and saying that she was going to kill him. But luan refused to let go. Soon Lynn was exhausted both physically and emotionally.

She fell to her knees and started to sob into luan's arms. Luan just rapped her arms around Lynn, holding her close as she to began to sob.

Suddenly there was a loud noise of sirens and an ambulance and two police cars were headed for them. But as soon as they reached the ice they had to stop. They got out of their vehicles and gathered as many supplies as they could.

They started to carefuly rush toward them on foot. There were two paramedics and four police officers. The two medics and one of the officers started to help Lincoln while the other three officers started to question the girls.

They asked lori and luna what had happened and they pointed to the man lying down in the snow. They tried to ask him questions, but he was too drunk to even talk coherently.

They then grabbed ahold of the man and started to drag him toward their police car. As they left, the two medics and the fourth officer finished what they could with Lincoln and started to roll him away to the ambulance.

The sisters all looked on in shocked horror as their only brother was taken to the hospital. Soon after another two ambulances came and got the Loud sisters. With out a word, due to shock, they got into the ambulances and went off to the hospital.

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A/N

Thanks for reading. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, as again this is my first time writing anything. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it so far. Whether or not you enjoyed this i hope you have a good one and please, feel free to comment.


	2. Chapter 2

The ambulances carrying the loud sisters arrived only minutes after Lincoln's. They were brought into the hospital and sent to the emergency department. A couple of nurses came into the room carrying arm loads of gowns and warm blankets.

The nurses set them down and told them, "take off all of your wet clothing and put on these gowns. Then wrap up in the blankets. We have to check you for signs of hypothermia." The nurses were about to exit the room when Luna looked up and asked. "Wait, where is Lincoln?"

The nurse turned back and said, "change and then i will answer your questions." With that she turned and left the room. After changing and wrapping themselves in blankets, the girls sat and waited.

Luna looked up and gazed around her sisters' faces. She could see Lana and Lola crying, holding onto one another, trying to comfort each other. Lisa was wrapped tightly in her blanket with her eyes closed. Luna couldn't tell if she was asleep or not.

Leni was sitting in a chair on the far side of the room, holding onto Lily. She was rocking her in her arms and speaking silently to her as she drifted to sleep.

Lucy was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall with her head between her knees. She just sat there, completely silent. Luna thought that she was asleep as well, until Lucy looked up long enough to wrap her blanket around herself tighter. Then buried her head back between her knees. Luna could see the faint traces of tears on Lucy's cheeks, behind her hair.

Lynn was standing, leaning against the wall. She had her blanket wrapped around herself with her arms crossed over her chest. She was staring at the floor with a very angry expression on her face. She looked like she was about to pull someone's head off.

Luna turned to look at her other sisters, when lori suddenly got up and walked over to Luan. She looked down and asked, "Luan, mom and dad need to know where we are, can i use you phone." Luan looked up at her, "what? Oh, yeah. Sure."

Luan pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Lori. She then looked down and blankly stared at the floor.

Lori looked at luan for a second before frowning and turning around to walk back to where she came from. She unlocked Luan's phone and started to type in a phone number. She waited, but no one answered. Frowning she typed another.

She put the phone to her ear and waited for someone to pick up on the other line. "Hello? Dad? No, this is Lori. Dad, we are at the hospital. No dad, we are not alright."

Lori paused to take a breath. Tears were starting to fall down her cheeks. "Dad, Lincoln got hit by a car. Please come, and could you get mom, she didn't answer her phone.

After saying goodbye, lori looked around to see all of her sisters were looking at her, with the exception of Lily. Lori then proceeded to clear her throat and said, "Dad is going to pick up mom and then they are coming." They all just nodded.

Suddenly there was a loud nocking on the outside of the door and one of the two nurses from earlier came in with two men, the first was a police officer and the other was a man in which Luna could only guess to be a doctor.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Cain. Please tell this officer your names and why you are here." The Loud sisters introduced them selves and Lori had began to tell the officer what had happened, when suddenly there came a scream from across the hall.

Startled the officer and the doctor ran out of the door to see a nurse run out of the room, she had a half of a pair of medical scissors in her left shoulder. Next, a man walked out holding a gun.

The police officer immediately went to reach for his gun, but as soon as the man saw him react, he lifted the gun and shot him. The Loud sisters cried out in horror as the officer fell to the ground.

The man aimed the gun at the girls and spoke, "Anyone move and i shoot." Lynn looked at him and said, "Wait your the man who hit Lincoln".

She went to take a step forward, but as soon as she lifted a foot the man aimed the gun at her and said, "I said, move and I shoot. There is no way in Hell I'm going to jail".

There was a sudden noise in the adjacent hall and the man looked away for a second. He saw three police officers walking slowly heading towards him in the reflection of the registration desk window.

Quickly looking back he pointed the gun at Lori. "You, tall bitch. Come here now or I swear to god I'll blow your brains out and then your little friends will be next." He said as he waved at the other girls.

Lori slowly started to walk towards the man and as soon as she got close enough, he grabbed her arm and pulled her in. He wrapped his arm around her body while holding the gun to her head.

Scared, tears started to slowly started to role down Lori's face. He then began to slowly walk backwards, never taking his eyes off of the hall in front of them.

Luna looked on in horror as she watched the man slowly walk away, with Lori as his hostage. Out of the corner of her eye, Luna saw a door open. She turned her head a little and watched a tall, thin man with a cane walk out.

Luna thought that he looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. The man slowly and quietly limped out. He looked at the man with the gun and frowned with the right of his face, the left half seemed to be frozen in a blank expression and he wore an eye patch over his left eye.

The tall man turned his gaze and saw Luna looking at him. He raised a shaking hand and made a fist with his index finger extended over his mouth, indicating that she stays quite.

Luna blinked in understanding and the tall man gave her a kirt nod. He then proceeded down the hall toward the gun man and Lori, stopping about ten feet behind them.

He turned and took a step towards a medical storage compartment. He slowly began looking inside, quickly looking from the drawers to the gun man, until he finally found what he was looking for.

The tall man then started to walk towards the man again. At this point the policemen rounded the corner and were slowly making their way to the gun man.

When the tall man saw that they could see him he slowly raised a hand and closed it into a fist, signing for the officers to stand back. Hesitantly complying, the officers stop and start to distract the gun man by telling the man to let the girl go.

Once distracted, the tall man slowly limped right up behind the gun man. He watched the man before slowly bringing the cane down to stand on the floor.

Turning to look at the gun the man was holding, the tall man let go of his cane and before it landed on the floor, he had gripped the gun at the back of the slide. He then pulled back as hard as he could, making the man pull the trigger.

To Luna's surprise the gun didn't go of, instead the gun's hammer slammed on to the tall mans hand. Blood instantly started to run down his hand.

Surprised, the gun man let go of Lori and she ran as fast as she could to her sisters. Luna met her with open arms and they both slid down to their knees as Luna tried to calm her.

Luna and her sisters watched as the two men began to fight. First the gun man tried to pull the gun away from the other's grasp but when he found his grip too strong he attempted to punch him.

Stepping back the man missed, the tall man then thrust the gun into the mans face causing him to let go of his hold. The tall man then proceeded to take the gun apart, throwing the peices onto the floor.

Once the man got up he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a bloody half scissor. Before he tried to attack, Dr Cain shouted, "Wade, look out!"

Turning around to face the man, Wade drew his arm back and thru the last peice of the gun at his face, stunning the man, causing him to drop the wepon and fall backwards.

Wade then walked up to the man and placed a knee on his back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He put his hand onto the back of the man's head and stuck the syringe into the mans spine and got off.

Suddenly the man started to scream, "Why can't i move? What did you do to me?" Wade looked down at him and spoke, "I temporarily paralyzed you, once the syringe is out of you neck you will be fine."

Luna looked at Wade in surprise as he spoke with a voice that sounded far older then he looked. His voice was deep and very gravely. Instead of twenty he sounded eighty. He also had a very strange accent, Luna had no idea as to where he came from.

Turning around to face them he limped towards them panting heavily. He stopped to try to pick up his cane but fell to his hands and knees instead. Dr. Cain and the nurse rushed to him as the police ran to the gun man.

As the police hand cuffed the man, Wade weesed out, "Pull the syringe straight out or you risk paralyzing him permanently."

As soon as the syringe was out the man started to try to brake away from the officers' hands. "Damn it Carver, hold the fuck still or I swear to God I will taze the shit out of you.

With that said, Carver stopped moving but started to swear profanities at everyone and anyone as the officers started to drag him away.

Suddenly, Lynn ran past everyone and proceeded to kick him square in to groin. "That's for hitting Lincoln with your car." She said as he fell to his knees. "And this is for threatening my sisters." She then punched him in the face, breaking his nose in the processes. Causing blood to pour from it.

Screaming he spoke, "this bitch broke my nose." With that said Lynn turn around and walked back to her sisters. Luna felt a small spark of pride for her sister's actions and stood up with Lori and walked to her. She wrapped her arms around both Lynn and Lori. Soon the sisters were all embraced within a group hug.

While the Loud sisters were embracing, Dr. Cain was looking over Wade. He looked up at the nurse and said, "Miranda, could you go and grab a wheelchair for Mr Wade. I think he has earned a break. Also can you get someone to take care of this poor officer.

With that said the Louds turned to look at Mr Wade. They walked over to him and started to thank him for saving Lori's life. Dr. Cain cleared his throat and spoke, "Now, now girls, give Mr. Wade some room.

"Come now Dr. I'm fine, just a bit winded, and what's with all this Mr Wade. I'm 20, not eighty. Please, call me Jim." He said with a lopsided grin.

At that moment a man and a woman walked into the hall way. As soon as they saw the Loud sisters they called over to them, "Girls." Luna turned her head to see their parents running over to them.

"Mom, dad." The girls all ran to meet them.

"We are so sorry we weren't here sooner, we had to wait while the police were arresting someone and when we had hear that he was holding you hostage and that he was the same one that hit Lincoln with his car we were so worried." Their mother, Rita Loud cried.

Lynn Sr looked around and asked, "Have you heard anything about Lincoln?" The girls said no, that they haven't see or heard anything about Lincoln since they got here.

As the Louds were talking, Luna noticed that the Nurse, Miranda, was bringing an empty wheelchair, and to male nurses towards them. Then she realized they had forgotten about Jim.

He was looking at them with his lopsided grin, leaning against Dr. Cain. Once the wheelchair arrived both Dr. Cain and Miranda helped him sit. As they started to wheel him back toward his room luna stopped them. "Wait." She called out causing everyone to turn to face her, all accept the male nurses, who were putting the dead officer into a body bag.

She looked at Jim and said, "I just wanted to say thank you again for saving us." He smiled and rasped, "No thanks is necessary, I'm just glad no one else got hurt."

"Luna, who is this?" Rita asked. "Mom this is Mr. Jim Wade. He saved us from the man that the cops arrested." Both Rita and Lynn Sr. Looked surprised.

They walked up to him and spoke" Thank you for saving our daughters." Lynn Sr. said as he held out his hand and introduced him self. "My name is Lynn Loud Sr. and this is my wife Rita." He introduced him self, as Jim shook their hands.

At the mention of their names Jim raise his eyebrow and said, "I thought I recognized you. Your the Loud family." Confused they nodded. "I just moved into the house across the street from you." He said with a smile. "Nice to finally meet you.

With that said, he bid them good bye and wheeled himself into his room. The Loud family watched him go with a confused expression on their faces.

The Louds started to head into their room when Mr and Mrs Loud were suddenly stopped by a woman, "Mr and Mrs Loud? My name is Dr Sarah Sergeant. May I speak with you please? In private?" She said when she saw the ten girls waiting in the room.

"Uhh, sure. Is everything alright? Rita asked as she shut the door. The loud sisters put their ears to the door and tried to hear what was happening.

"Mr and Mrs Loud, I'm afraid I have some bad news." The Dr. said before pausing. The girls all stiffened as she continued. "It's about Lincoln."

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A/N

Sorry to stop on a cliffhanger, but this chapter was getting a bit long and if i didn't stop now, i would never have stopped. With that said i hope you are enjoying the story. Please, feel free to leave a review or if you would like to just talk, pm me. Have a good one.


	3. chapter 3

A/N

Sorry it took so long for me to post the next chapter. My friend had to have a surgery and I had to take care of them. It's a bit funny really, the sick taking care of the lame. Anyway, on to the chapter. Enjoy.

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Rita and Lynn Sr. Looked at Dr. Sergeant with fear as she began to speak, "When your son arrived here, he was in critical condition, we had to operate immediately."

She cleared her throat and continued, "When the car struck Lincoln, his legs were broken. His Femurs were forced in between his Tibias and Fibulas, shattering them and pulverizing his patellas."

Rita and Lynn stared to sob as she continued, "The damage was so severe and Lincoln was loosing so much blood that we had to amputate both of his legs, at the knees."

There were shocked gasps from the loud sisters as they heard this. "Why? Oh god, why?" Lori cryed as she slid down the wall and buried her head in her knees. She could hear her sisters sobbing similar words, but none seemed to register as she thought about Lincoln.

The first thought that popped into Lori's head was the memory of Lincoln's first steps. He would struggle to stand but he refused to quit, soon Lincoln was walking into her open arms. Lori was so proud of her little brother and now he would never walk again.

The sobbing started to slow, until the girls just cried in silence. After a moment the doctor's started to speak again, "There is some good news though". At those words Lori wiped her tears away and got up. She ran to the door and pressed her ear to it, her other sisters close behind.

"Lincoln's surgery went well, although his heart rate dropped very low for a while, it is now stable. He is currently in recovery, sleeping but if you would like to see him you can. Just be very quiet." With that, there was the sound of foot steps that got quieter as the doctor walked away.

With in seconds, The Loud sisters had the door open and were around their parents. Lynn Jr spoke first, "So when can we see Lincoln?" Their parents looked at them and Rita said, "Now". With that, the Loud family began to head off to find Lincoln.

They walked over the the information desk and Rita asked where they could find Lincoln. A short woman at the computer started typing, looking for Lincoln's info.

When she had found what she was looking for she looked at Rita and said, "You can find Lincoln on floor five, the top floor. He is in room number 47 of the I.C.U. Head down this hall and take elevator C all the way up, then head straight until you come to an intersection in the hall and take a right. His room will be on the left."

Rita thanked her before she and the rest of the louds headed off to the top floor. They got to the elevator and Lynn Sr hit the fifth floor button. While waiting in the elevator, Lori looked around her family.

They were still wearing hospital gowns with blankets wrapped around themselves. The twins were holding hands looking dazed.

Lucy and lynn Jr had their blankets wrapped around the both of them, Lucy was looking very depressed and not in the good way. Lynn had her arm wrapped tightly around Lucy. Lynn was looking straight ahead, Lori could tell that she was trying to be tough, but saw a tear roll down one cheek.

Lisa had her normal blank expression plastered across her face, but she was nervously fiddling with her blanket.

Leni looked terrible, her hair was a mess and she was looking lost and confused. Lori honestly didn't know if Leni understood what was happening. Leni often had difficulty understanding even the simplest of things, but based off of how sad and worried Leni looked, Lori decided that she at least knew something was wrong.

Lori turned her head and looked at luan. If Leni looked terrible, Luan looked worse. Her eyes were wide, they had a stuned look to them and she looked like she was about to start crying again. Lori was not shocked to see Luan so sad, but it was still weird seeing the girl who always seemed to be laughing, about to cry.

Turning away from Luan, Lori looked at their parents. They were both crying but had determined looked on their faces, trying to look strong for their children. Rita was holding the still sleeping lily.

"Hmm, how is it that through everything that has happened, she is still sleeping. Through all the shouting and running. Even through Lori being held at gun point and the officer being shot...

Oh god."

Lori felt like she was going to throw up. She had completely forgotten that the officer had been shot and killed right in front of the girls. Her legs felt like they were about to give out at any second and she had to lean her side against the wall of the elevator.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Lori's shoulder causing Lori to jump in surprise. She turned to see Luna looking at her with a worried expression. "Hey Lori, are you doing okay?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, just worried about Lincoln." She replied. It wasn't a lie she really was worried about Lincoln, it just wasn't the full truth.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but Lincoln is the strongest and most mature person I know. It'll be hard and painful, but if anyone can recover it'll be Lincoln." Luna said.

Lori heard a few words of agreement from their other sisters and parents. "Besides, he has us to help him and if need be, I will carry him anywhere he needs or wants to go", Lynn said with a bit of a smile.

"Valiant as your offer is, it is unlikely necessary as there is high probability he will receive mechanized lower limb prosthetics." Lisa said.

The rest of the Louds just look at her as if she had suddenly grown a second head. "Robot legs." She flatly stated.

"Oh." The rest said. Lana looked at her and gave a small smile. "You mean Lincoln is going to be a cyborg?"

Lisa looked at her and shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Although they will be very expensive and clunky."

The loud patriarch look at her worryingly, as money was tight and they didn't know if they could afford prosthetic legs for their only son. "Worry not parental units, I can build a far cheaper and versatile pair in my lab." She said in an almost giddy manner.

Suddenly, there was a loud "Ding" and the elevator doors started to open as they reached the top floor.

"That seemed to take longer then it should have." Lori thought.

The Louds quickly grew silent as they stepped out of the elevator and headed to find Lincoln's room. They got to where the halls intersected and took a right. They walked down the hall and Lori slowly counted off the room numbers in her head as they passed them.

As the group got to the room just before Lincoln's, Lori suddenly felt anxious. She had little idea what to expect once she walked through the doors. But then she thought of Lincoln and how scared he would get once he wakes up.

Lori realized that she needed to be strong not only for her self but for Lincoln as well. She took a couple of deep breaths and followed her family as they walked into Lincoln's room.

Lori was the last to walk into the room, it was dead quiet and everyone was just standing still looking forward. When she saw Lincoln she knew why.

He was laying still in bed, sleeping. He had an IV in his right arm, he had wired sensors placed all over, hooking into heart monitors, a blood pressure cuff on his left arm , blood oxygen sensor on his right middle finger and a breathing tube in his nose.

He had bandages all over, on his arms, his face, Lori thought that he probably had them on his chest and back as well, but couldn't see them through his hospital gown. The most apparent features she could see, were of course, the two spots where his lower legs should be. There was just empty space below where his knees should have been.

Seeing Lincoln like this caused all of the louds to burst out crying. The twins ran to Lynn Sr and Leni ran to Rita and Lily, she wrapped her arms around them sobbing heavily. Lisa dropped to her knees and just stared forward.

Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lucy, and Lori all started to slowly walk towards Lincoln's bed. Luna and Luan walk over to the left side while Lynn and Lucy walk to the right side. They stood right next to him and look down at him.

Lori walks up to Lincoln's bed and looks at him from the foot of the bed. Seeing him laying in the hospital bed makes her heart feel like someone was crushing it in a vice, slowly tightening it. "He looks so small, smaller than even Lucy." She thought.

As they all stood there watching over Lincoln they were all silent, even their sobs were quiet. The only sounds were the sounds of the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the slow but steady breathing of Lincoln.

They all stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only about a couple of hours. There was a sudden, loud knock on the door frame. About half of the Loud family turned to see the surgeon from earlier.

"Sorry to disturb you all but i must check my patient." She said as she walked to check on Lincoln's status. She weaved around and between the girls as she checked his vitals. Lori watched as Luna looked up at her and and spoke, "excuse me Dr, but when will Lincoln be able to leave the hospital?"

Dr sergeant looked at her and said, "It could be anywhere from three weeks to a month before Lincoln is fit to leave to go home. Durring this time Lincoln will be recovering and relearning how to take care of himself."

"He will need to learn how to move around without legs and doing things that seem simple will be an extreme challenge for him, such as getting to the toilet or shower."

"Do keep in mind that he will need help and that he will get very frustrated. You will all need to be patient with him and try not to get angry at him. Do you understand?"

They all nodded in agreement as she continued. "He will need prosthetics, but will have to go through rigorous physical therapy before he receives them and while he is learning to use them."

"There is a high chance of probability that he will become depressed due to the stress and may have some moderate to severe personality changes. Keep in mind that the first week or two are always the hardest, as he needs to get used to the fact that he no longer has legs. He should see a psychologist or counselor as soon as possible."

She paused as she looked sudden at her watch. "Visiting hours are between the hours of eight a.m. and nine p.m. It is currently ten p.m. I'll give you another ten minutes, but I'm afraid that you are going to have to leave."

"If you have any questions please, do not hesitate to give my office a call. If Lincoln should awaken before you return I shall give you a call." With that said she gave her goodbye and left.

The girls all looked at one another in shock, as they didn't realize how much time had passed. Lori thought it odd that the entire trip to Lincoln's room there had been no windows and didn't notice the change from day to night.

Rita looked at her children and sighed, "You heard her. As much as I don't want to leave Lincoln here by himself, we have to obey the hospitals rules. Say your goodbyes and lets go."

"Wait, what about our clothes?" Leni asked. "You mean these clothes?" Asked a familiar voice." The louds looked up to see Dr. Cain. "I saw that you forgot to grab you clothes. I grabbed them along with your phones." He said as he held out a couple of large bags containing their still wet clothes and a smaller bag with a couple of phones.

Lynn Sr walked over and grabbed the bags and thanked Dr Cain. "Not a problem. I would like to let you know that once you son is awake and mentaly stable he will be brought down to floor two, where I will take charge of his care. You will be able to visit him there. Just go to the front desk and ask for his room number. I'm sorry, but I have other patients I have to see. Goodbye.

He then left, leaving the louds standing in Lincoln's room. Rita turned to face her children and spoke, "I'm sorry girls but it is time to go. We will come back once Lincoln is awake."

One by one Lori and her sisters kissed Lincoln on his forehead and whispered goodbye. Once they gave their farewell, the large family began the short journey to their home.

Once they reached the front door of the hospital, a sudden thought dawned on Lori. "Mom, dad. How did you get here? Vanzilla broke down this morning."

"We had to rent a van for the next two days. We didn't know how you got here and assumed you arrived in ambulances and we didn't have time to find Vanzilla." Lynn Sr replied.

"Oh, ok." Lori said.

They followed their parents to a plain grey van and one at a time got in. Lynn Sr started the van and once they were all strapped in they headed home. "See you tomorrow, little brother." Lori thought as the van pulled out of the hospital parking lot.


	4. chapter 4

A/N

Hey guys, I've been pretty busy lately taking care of my friend. She's not doing so well and I've started to randomly pass out. I don't know how often I'll post an update to this story but I'm not quitting. I am incapable of stopping something once I start it, no matter how long it takes. Any way, enjoy and have a good one.

The Louds had gotten home at around eleven o'clock and had gone straight to their rooms. All but one that is. Lynn had gone to the bathroom and waited until she had heard all of her sisters' doors close. Once she was sure that the hall was empty, she slowly opened the door and walked out.

Slowly and quietly she crept across the hall to Lincoln's room. She paused and looked around one final time before opening the door and walked in, closing the door behind her.

She looked around with a frown, Lincoln hadn't had time to make his bed or pick up his room before he had headed out this morning. Lynn wasn't used to seeing his room so unkempt. Lincoln had always kept his room clean due to his limited space.

Lynn walked forward and bent down and grabbed his dirty clothes, throwing them into the laundry basket. Next she walked over to his bed and started to make up. Normally Lynn wasn't much into cleaning, but she couldn't just sit around and do nothing while Lincoln was in the hospital.

She just felt so useless, she could take on almost any challenge, but could do nothing to help Lincoln. She looked around the room, seeing if there was anything else that she could do. There wasn't much to do to begin with and when she thought that she had gotten everything her eyes had fallen on a shape laying on the floor next to the wall.

Curious she got up and walked over to it. She bent down and grabbed it, looking at it in the dim moon light, shinning through the single window.

Through out the entire day she had cried very little, but when she saw what was in her hands she lost it. "Bun bun." She whimpered as tears started to fall from her face. She never knew why Lincoln cared so much for the stuffed rabbit and she had on many occasions made fun of him for it.

She had always thought that he was too old to be playing with such childish dolls, but right now she give anything to get it to him. "God, I'm such a horrible sister." She thought to her self. "I've done nothing but bully him. I've beat him, made fun of him and I even threatened him with a baseball bat."

With that thought she dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms tightly around Bun bun and began to weep so hard that she was shaking. "How could I have been so stupid? All the times I forced him to do things I didn't even stop to consider if he actually wanted to or not. He didn't want to go to that stupid baseball game and when I loss I blamed him. I even convinced the family that he was bad luck."

"He lost so much those days and for the week following, he had to wear that stupid mascot suit. I hate that suit. I hate sports. I hate me." Her breath had become rapid and she had to catch her breath.

"Through out all that has happened he has been punished and ridiculed, while the rest of us have gotten of Scott free. But instead of hating us he has forgiven us time and time again and when we were all in danger, instead of jumping out of the way..." She was now having a full blow panic attack and couldn't think clearly.

"Instead of jumping out of the way he had pushed us away and he got hit. Even after getting hit he was still worried about us, why did it have to be him. It should have been me. Why Lincoln? Why did it have to be Lincoln?"

Lynn's heart was pounding and she felt like she was going to be sick. "Lincoln, I promise that I will do anything and everything within my power to make your life easier. I'll quit all of my sports and take care of you. I promise."

After Lynn had made her promise her mind had grown silent and her heart rate had started to slow. Once it had gone back to normal she got off the floor and walked to Lincoln's bed. She sat down, still holding Bun bun and just stared into the dark. Her tears had stopped along with her panic attack and were drying to her face.

Suddenly there was a nocked on Lincoln's door and it slowly started to open. Lucy walked in and looked at her. "I thought you were in here. Are you okay?" She asked. Lynn noticed that her voice sounded a little off and less monotone.

"Yeah. I'm fine, I'm just missing Lincoln. How are you doing?" Lucy walked up to her and much to her surprise she wrapped her arms around Lynn and started to cry.

"Lynn I miss Lincoln. I wish he was home." Lynn was a little surprised but wrapped her arms around Lucy and pulled her up onto the bed next to her. She started to rub Lucy's back as she spoke.

"I know, I miss him too, but he will be back and we will have to take good care of him, okay?" Lucy nodded in response and Lynn continued. "Say, how about you and I sleep here. It will be like we're with Lincoln in spirit."

"Okay." Lucy said as Lynn pulled them onto Lincoln's bed and wrapped the blankets around them. Lynn kept rubbing Lucy's back until she fell asleep.

"Hmm. I guess Lincoln isn't the only one I need to protect. I need to make sure that everyone is kept safe." She thought to her self.

She snuggled up to Lucy and whispered, "Goodnight Spooky," before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

It was 10:27 in the morning when Lincoln Loud woke up. He was in agony and was both confused and scared. His heart monitor was spiking and he was freaking out.

"Hello? HELLO? Is some one there? Please I need help." With in seconds a woman and a man rushed in. The man stopped next to Lincoln and asked what was wrong.

"Please help me, my legs hurt." The man's eye twitched at his words but quickly turned to the woman.

"Miranda, get 100 CCs of morphine." The woman rushed out and the man turned back to Lincoln. "Lincoln hold on for just a second. Okay? Miranda is bringing you something for the pain".

By now the pain was so bad that Lincoln was panting and sweating profusely, his hospital gown was already drenched. The man turned away from him and looked at the door. "Miranda." He hollered. Just then Miranda came rushing in with a syringe, she stopped at Lincoln's side, grabbed his I.V. and injected it into it.

Within twenty agonizing seconds the morphine started to work. The man whispered sometime into Miranda's ear and she nodded before rushing back out the door. The man looked back at Lincoln, "Lincoln you are currently in St. Francis hospital. Do you understand?"

Lincoln looked up at the man and nodded. The affects of the morphine were making it a little hard to think straight. "Where are my sisters? Are they okay? Who are you and why do my legs hurt?" The man took a deep breath and looked Lincoln in the eye.

"Lincoln, my name is Dr. Cain. You were in an accident. A drunk driver hit black ice and lost control. He was headed for you and your sisters but at the last second you somehow managed to push all of your sisters out of the way. (Still not sure how you did that.) But in doing so you took the full force of the car."

Dr. Cain paused to watch Lincoln's reaction. His face was expressionless but seemed to be understanding what the Dr. was telling him.

"Lincoln your legs sustained severe damage, as they took the majority of the impact. They were bleeding profusely and your Lowry leg bones were destroyed. I'm sorry to say this but we had to amputate your lower legs."

Dr. Cain watched Lincoln's face, his expression had stayed blank the entire time he was telling Lincoln what had happened, but now Lincoln's left eye was twitching. Dr. Cain was getting a little worried that Lincoln was going into shock but suddenly Lincoln started to tear up.

"And my sisters? Are they okay?" He softly cried out. Dr. Cain looked at him a little surprised. Even though Lincoln was in the hospital he was more focused and worried about his sisters than himself. Never before had Dr. Cain met someone as mature as Lincoln. He could tell that Lincoln was upset about loosing his legs but to be more worried for his sisters?

Not even his adult patients were this mature, "Well except for one." he thought with a slight inner smirk.

"Lincoln I can reassure you, your sisters are fine. They are worried for you and there was an incident last night, but other than that they are physically fine."

Lincoln looked at him, "What do you mean there was an incident last night?" Dr. Cain suddenly felt unsure whether or not he should tell Lincoln what happened last night. But base on how well Lincoln had taken his previous news he decided that Lincoln could handle it. "Well you see..."

Just as Dr. Cain was about to tell Lincoln what had happened Lincoln's expression went from sad and concerned to one of fear and pain. The heart monitor started to beep rapidly and Lincoln started to sweat.

Dr. Cain put his hand on Lincoln and asked, "Lincoln whats wrong? What is happening?." Lincoln started to thrash around a little and was panting heavily. "Dr., my legs are hurting again."

Dr. Cain was a little taken aback. Lincoln was on a high dosage of morphine and shouldn't be in any pain. He ran across the room and looked out the door. He saw Miranda walking out of another patients room and he called out to her. "Miranda, I need another 100 CCs of morphine, stat." She nodded and took off.

Dr. Cain walked back to Lincoln and as he reached him Miranda came in with another syringe. She grabbed Lincoln's I.V. and shot the morphine in. Within seconds Lincoln's face relaxed and both Dr. Cain and Miranda let out a deep breath. "Lincoln are you okay? Is the pain better now."

The only response he got was Lincoln giggling as the morphine Set in. Miranda couldn't help but smile. "Yep Dr. I think Lincoln is feeling pretty great right now."

It was 11:38 a.m. and Luan was nervously walking back and forth across the living room while the rest of the family were waiting on the couch or doing their own thing. They were waiting for a call from the hospital saying how Lincoln was doing and if they could come and visit.

Much like the rest of the Loud family, Luan had gotten very little sleep the previous night. She kept thinking about Lincoln and whether or not he would be okay. She knew that his legs had been amputated and that he had been stable last night when they had seen him. But she couldn't help but to think that something would go wrong.

Would Lincoln wake up? Did he hit his head and have brain damage? Would he become depressed? Would he be angry at her and the rest of their sisters and blame them for what happened? These were the questions that were going though her mind.

The more her thought the faster she would walk back and forth across the floor. Suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder and brought her to a halt. She turned and saw her roommate, Luna looking down at her with a worried expression on her face. "Hey dude, you gotta relax or your going to wear a hole in the floor."

Luan gave her a frown and responded. "Luna I can't relax. What if something happened after we saw him last night. What if he..." Luna interrupted her. "Whoa now. You can't be thinking like that, ya got to keep a positive outlook. I know it's hard but Lincoln needs us to keep it together, you know what I mean?"

Luan seemed to relax a little at her older sister's words but still felt like something bad was going to happen. She had opened her mouth to say something but the phone had started to ring right be fore the first word could be said.

In a flash their mother had gotten to the phone and answered. "Hello? Yes this is Rita Loud. Huh? You say Lincoln is awake?" She paused for a moment and slowly started to nod. "I see. But we can come over, right? We can? Okay good." Thank you, have a nice day. Goodbye."

She hung up and took a deep breath. She turned to face the rest of the family and saw their hopeful yet worried expressions. "Okay every body, now listen. As you could probably tell that was the hospital, they said that Lincoln is awake and that we can go and visit." Everyone started to get excited but Rita held up her hand and everyone quieted down.

"Listen, Lincoln is awake and knows what happened, but the doctor said that he has an extraordinary resistance to the pain medication and they had to put him on a really high dose. He said that Lincoln might not be fully aware and that we should be prepared for anything."

"He said that Lincoln is out of it and is loopy. We have to be careful and quiet. Lincoln just had surgery and we need to give him space. That means walking slowly and not jumping onto him and burying him in hugs. Do you all under stand?" They all nodded in agreement.

"Good, now lets go." With that the Louds all got up and walked out the door. They got into their rental van and went off to see Lincoln.

They had arrived ten minutes ago and were headed down Lincoln's hallway. The nurse from the day before, Miranda, was leading them. She was explaining some medical stuff and telling them about Lincoln's condition but Luan didn't pay much attention to what didn't have to do with how Lincoln was doing.

She was too busy worrying about how Lincoln was and how the drugs were affecting him. Would he be too drugged to recognize any of them or would he just be lying there staring at the wall, completely unaware of what was going on? Before she could continue her worrying they turned into Lincoln's room.

What Luan saw as she walked through the door threw she of a little, Lincoln was lying in bed and was holding what looked like a piece of string. He was holding it up and was staring at it like it was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. His eyes were wide and his pupils were huge.

She walked over to him, the rest of the family was following close behind. Lincoln still hadn't noticed them and Luan had started to worry again but pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. "Lincoln?" She said with a slightly shaky voice.

Lincoln slowly turned his head and looked at her. His face was almost completely expressionless as he spoke. "Hello Luan." She felt a bit nervous. "Oh no, he is angry at us." She thought.

Lincoln started to quickly look from the string to Luan and started to speak again. "Luan, look at this string. It has four thousand six hundred and twenty five fibers."

Luan suddenly heard a small laugh and turned her head. Luna was looking at Lincoln with her hand over her mouth. "Holy shit, he's high as a kite."

The whole room seemed to settle a little as they realized what was happening. Although Lori had to explain it to the younger ones, save for Lisa, and Leni.

Suddenly Miranda cleared her throat. "This is something that we have been trying to deal with for a while now. When Lincoln woke up this morning he was in a lot of pain and we gave him some morphine. It worked for a little while but rapidly wore off. We had to increase his dosage several times."

She paused for a moment to think of a way to explain what was happening before continuing. "It seems that Lincoln is matabulizing the drug very quickly. We don't know why or how. This is something that we here have never seen before but has happened a few times in the past. The only way for Lincoln to not be in agony is if he is drugged to this point. Believe me when I say this is very unusual. Most people twice his size would have passed out by now. We honestly don't know what to do."

"We can keep him like this for a while but unless we want to keep him high all the time we need to find something else. This isn't a problem at the moment but we have to make sure we keep a constant watch on him and we need to be careful that he doesn't develop an addiction. Although we aren't entirely sure if he could get addicted."

Luan turned back the Lincoln when she felt him poke her on the shoulder. "Hey Luan tell me a joke." Luan suddenly was unsure what to do. Jokes had been the last thing on her mind, but it also wasn't very often that Lincoln would ask for her jokes.

"Okay. Uh, does an apple a day keep the doctor away?" She asked. Lincoln thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know does it?" Luan smiled, "I does if you aim well enough."

For a moment Lincoln just sat there and Luan thought that he didn't understand the joke, but suddenly Lincoln burst out laughing. Luan's smile grew and there were a few releaved chuckles behind her.

Lincoln slowly stopped laughing and went back to looking at his string. "Well at least he's not in pain any more." Luan thought as a single tear fell down her cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Lisa watched Lincoln as he played with his string and laughed at Luan's jokes. She wasn't used to seeing Lincoln like this, he would usually laugh at some of Luan's jokes, but like the rest of their family he would usually groan at the bad ones. Now he just laughed at them all.

Lisa wasn't much for emotions but she was worried for Lincoln's well being. She didn't like that Lincoln had to be drugged so heavily that his personality had started to change. She wondered what in his genetics would have caused such a reaction with his immune system, causing his almost complete immunity to opium.

She turned towards Miranda and asked, "Excuse me nurse, but could you get the doctor. I would like to ask him about how the use of high doses of opium will affect Lincoln and if he is at risk of cytotoxicity of his leukocytes or any hematological changes he might receive from extended use."

Miranda just stared at her confused and Lisa watched as her family, save for Lincoln, turned to look at her. She sighed and took a deep breath. "How will the morphine will affect his immune system and his blood chemistry."

Miranda still looked confused but headed for the door to find the doctor regardless. Lisa turned her attention back to Lincoln and began to think, "I will need to ask for measurements of his femur at the joints and scans of both bone density and soft tissues. I will also need scans of his nerves."

There was a greeting at the door and Lisa turned and saw Dr. Cain standing in the entry. He walked in and asked, "Some one has questions?"

Lisa stepped forward and spoke. "Yes, I am curious about how the high dose of opium will affect Lincoln. Do you suspect that there be any adverse effects?" She paused and pulled out a folded pile of papers.

"Also I would appreciate it if you would look over this list and send the mentioned items to the email on the bottem. If you require any prior authorization, there is a list of names and numbers." She handed him the letter and looked at it.

"What is this?" He asked her. "This is a list of information that I require, nerve scans, bone density information, soft tissue samples, blood work. Along with a few others. I am working on a pair a prosthetics for my brother and would like to make them as versatile as possible."

Dr. Cain looked at her with awe. "Fascinating. A child prodigy who wishes to make her brother some new legs. I take it that you're Lisa Loud? I've hear a great deal about you from a few of my associates. I have to say I'm rather impressed. As long as you parents sign off on it and you have all the required paperwork filled out I will send you all of the aforementioned information." With that he walked out the door, looking over the papers.

Lisa turned back to her brother, she noticed her family looking at her with confusion. "To put it simply, I require specific information about Lincoln's physical and chemical make up. This information will allow me to build a properly designed set of mechanized legs for him. Said legs must meet curtain requirements before the FDA will grant me permission to make them."

"These legs will be state of the arc and will utilize very advanced technology. I plan to build Lincoln a set of legs that will work like his previous pair. If done correctly than they should be indistinguishable from real legs. The only difference being these are machines, not flesh."

She looked on at her family as she finished speaking. They had shocked expressions and some didn't seem to fully understand what she had said, but they seemed to understand that she was going to make it so Lincoln would be able to walk again.

Lincoln looked away from his string and shifted his gaze to Lisa and he burst out laughing. Lisa looked at him in confusion. "What is so amusing?" He continued to laugh as he tried to speak. When he had finally stopped he looked at Lisa. "Robo-Linc."

Suddenly everyone burst out laughing, even Lisa let out an amused chuckle. Lisa was confused as to why she was laughing, as it wasn't even funny. But for some reason she couldn't help but to laugh. Perhaps it was caused by Lincoln's contagious personality, well what ever it was, it was just nice to see Lincoln enjoying himself again.

* * *

It had been several hours since the Louds had arrived, they were all rather enjoying their visit with Lincoln. Despite the obvious changes, Lucy was enjoying her discussions with her brother. For the majority of the time they were there he was high out of his mind, but at the moment he seemed to have mellowed out.

Lucy was currently laying next to her brother asking him for words that rhymed with whatever word she needed for one of her poems. She was quite pleased with some of the rhythms, it seemed that while high, Lincoln could rhyme any word.

She asked him for a word that rhymed with mortician, he would say decomposition or she'd ask outrageous and he would say auspicious or excrementitious, (she quite liked the latter.)

She was happy or rather, less depressed, with how, despite Lincoln's current state, he was still willing to help her with her poetry. She even wore an (almost) smile. All that mattered was that her brother was doing better, although she still couldn't help but to worry for him.

Lucy was worried about Lincoln's mind, she wasn't as smart as her older siblings, their parents and especially not Lisa, but she was intelligent enough to understand that Lincoln wasn't himself. What ever drugs the doctors had him on were affecting his mind and quite frankly, Lucy didn't like it. She wished for her brother to be back to normal but she also knew that with out the medicine he would be in agony.

Normally the raven haired goth was all about anguish and the suffering of the mortal plane, but when said pain was her brother's she would do anything to see it vanished. If it ment that her brother could be better she would give up all of her gothic ways of life along with all of her poetry in a heart beat.

But alas the young girl knew that such things were pointless to think about. There wasn't a thing that she could do to help Lincoln. She was felling things that she normally wouldn't let herself feel, sadness, anger and pain were among the most prevalent. But what she felt the strongest was guilt.

Like her older roommate, she felt that if she had just been paying better attention than none of this would have happened. Instead, she and her other siblings were all too busy with their arguments. She wished that for once Lincoln would have been selfish and had gotten himself out of the way, rather than getting hurt saving them.

Why did he have to always be such a hero all the time? He was even willing to take on the responsibilities of miniscule things as long as it was something that would help his friends and family.

She remembered back to how earlier that year he had taken the blame for clogging the toilet with a princesses pony book. No one could find out who's it was, but they said that who ever it belonged to would be teased relentlessly for weeks.

Lincoln had found out that the book was Lucy's, but instead of teasing her about it he took the blame, knowing that Lucy couldn't handle the teasing. He was punished and could not make it to his Ace Savvy convention.

To say that Lucy would be forever grateful for her brother's kindness would be a gross understatement. At the time she had wanted to repay him and had made a comic for him. Lucy was nervous about getting it to him, but had become truly happy when Lincoln had told her that he loved it. Now, she didn't think she could ever find away to make it up to or thank her elder brother for saving her life.

Suddenly Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped where she was sitting. She heard a laugh and turned to the owner of the hand.

"Ha ha ha. I thought that you were the one who got the drop on us." Lincoln looked at Lucy with a worried look. "Is something wrong, Lucy?" He asked. To Lucy it seemed like Lincoln was almost back to normal. She turned and buried her face into Lincoln's shoulder. "Everything is fine now that you're okay." She stated.

She felt Lincoln's hand on her back as he began to rub it. She began to get sleepy and dozed off, soon she was asleep.

* * *

About an hour later Lucy awoke to a loud beeping sound. She opened her eyes to see her whole family was standing around Lincoln's bed with terrified looks. She turned her head to look a Lincoln but when she did her heart dropped.

Lincoln was sweating profusely and his teeth were gritted. His heart monitor was going crazy as he thrashed about. "Lincoln, what's wrong?" Their mother asked. He didn't reply.

To Lucy's horror Lincoln a had started to scream. She had been pushed to the side and almost fell onto the floor. She started to cry as Lincoln's screams got louder. She could here her other sisters crying and she heard her father ran out of the room and yelled out for help.

When Lincoln saw that his family was crying for him he grit his teeth and stopped screaming. "Im sorry." Was all he could get out before Dr. Cain and Miranda came rushing in. Lucy felt arms wrap around her as she was pulled away from her brother.

"No, please. Let me stay with Lincoln." She begged as she felt the arms around her shake but they held her back. "I'm sorry Lucy, but the doctors need to help Lincoln." Lucy turned to see Lynn holding her. Her lip was trembling and she had tears flowing from her eyes. Lucy wrapped her arms around her and sobbed heavily into her chest.

The room had grown silent, sans Lincoln's short rapid breathing and the heart monitor. Lucy heard the sudden voice of Miranda, "Dr. what the hell is happening."

"I don't know, but it seems that Lincoln's immunity to opium has become complete."

There were a few gasps from Lucy's family and she could hear Lincoln start to groan in agony and a set of foot steps. "Mr and Mrs Loud, I'm afraid that you and your family must leave. We are going to have to put Lincoln into a temporary medically induced coma. If we don't your son could have a heart attack or a stroke. I'm sorry, but we have no other choice."

There were some gasps of horror and Lucy felt Lynn's grip tighten as she sobbed. "Come on girls lets give the doctors room to work." Their father said. Lucy was then lifted up into Lynn's arms and carried out. She sniffled as she watched Lincoln grow further away.

"Lincoln." Was all that she could get out before Lynn walked them out the door. Lucy turned away from the door and stared forward. If she was paying attention she would have seen her other younger sisters being carried out by their older sisters. Their mother was being held by their father as they sobbed.

By the time they had gotten to the car and were all strapped in they had all become deathly silent. For about ten minutes they just sat there staring blankly at one another. After said time Lola cleared her throat. "Is Lincoln going to be alright?" She asked nervously.

No one answered. She started to cry harder. "Please tell me that Lincoln is going to be alright." It was Lisa who answered, her voice shook as she spoke. "Getting him to sleep should be fine." She took a couple of breaths before continuing. "The only problem is if they can get him to wake back up."

Luna's head spun to face her. "What do you mean if they can get him to wake back up?" She demanded.

Lisa flinched under her gaze. "When someone is put into a medically induced coma it is because they are in a critical state. They have a higher chance of recovery if their body can focus all of its energy on healing, the only problem is that some times the patient's mind can fail. Luckily, Lincoln is young and strong, he has a far higher chance of waking up."

"But, the longer he is in the coma the less likely he is to recover. The doctors must find a pain medication that will work before this happens. Although..." she paused again. Lori looked at her. "Although, what?" She begged.

Lisa thought for a moment. By now the entire Loud family was looking at Lisa. Lucy was getting nervous with how long she was quiet. Suddenly Lisa sat up, startling everyone. "Quickly, I must get to my lab. I believe I have an idea as to how I can help our brother." She looked about the family. "And how to give Lincoln new legs."

Everyone was silent until their father turned around and turned on the vehicle. The sisters all fastened their safety belts as he pulled away from the hospital. Lucy looked at Lisa. "Can she really help Lincoln?" She thought as they quickly drew further away from the hospital. "Guess we will have to find out."

* * *

A/N

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. It didn't turn out quite like I had planned, but it is what it is. My friend had to move in with me and she isn't doing so well and I keep loosing weight. The doctors don't know what is wrong with either of us, but I refuse to give up. I will post the next chapter when I can and hopefully it won't be a late. Again sorry and have a good one.


	6. chapter 6

As soon as the Louds had walked through their front door Lisa had started to look through everything, she had started to gather up electronics. She had quite the pile going, while the rest of the family just stood and watched. Luna watched as Lisa paused and turned to face everyone.

"Listen up everyone. I need you to gather up everything that I tell you." They all nodded as she turned to give them each their orders. "Parental units, I require you to gather up two radios, the extra phone, the electric razer and your watch. Bring them to my room and I would recommend you take Lily to your room for the next few days."

Their parents looked confused but nodded and took off to get the required items. Next Lisa turned to the twins. "I require you two to gather up all of the empty tin and aluminum cans, as well as all of the refrigerator magnets." They nodded and off they went.

"Lucy, Lynn, I need all of the fishing gear and Lynn's weights. Leni I require all of the silicon baking wear. Lori bring me all of you old phones, also it may be wise to call Bobby and have him tell his sister what has happened to Lincoln." They a went off to do their tasks and Lisa faced the remaining sisters.

"Luan you should call the rest of Lincoln's friends and let them know, it would be wise not to use any of your jokes. Lastly Luna, you have several large speakers. I'm sorry but you will have to be going acoustic for a while, as I require the electric components inside."

Luna nodded and headed for the stairs. She was a little upset that she had to give up one of her hobbies, but for Lincoln she would do anything. After he saved their lives it was the least she could do. She got to her room and started to drag her speakers out of her room. They were a bit heavy but soon enough they were in Lisa's room.

As she brought the last one in she noticed the large pile of electronic and miscellaneous thing. "Jeez, I sure hope what ever Lisa plans to do works." She thought aloud.

"Of course it will." Startled Luna turned around to see Lisa looking at the pile. "It will work and once I finish Lincoln's legs I will be able to integrate the two together. Come with me and I'll explain it to you."

Luna followed Lisa to a work bench. She pressed a button and a door slid open on the table. To Luna's amazement a pair of legs rose up out. "What the? Lisa when you said that you were going to be making Lincoln a new set of legs I didn't expect this."

Before the two were two legs. They looked like real legs, but with out skin. To Luna it appeared that they were metal bones with some kind of metallic muscles and tendons. They were actually a little hard to look at. They looked exactly like real legs. The only difference being that they were metal.

Shocked she looked at Lisa. "These are incredible. How did you build them so fast?" Lisa smiled. "It didn't matter how I built them. All that matters is that Lincoln gets new legs. The only problem is I couldn't figure out how to mount them to Lincoln. Thankfully I realized how in the van."

She walked over to a white board and began to draw. Luna looked on in amazement as Lisa drew Lincoln's amputated legs in quite perfect (and quite frankly disturbing detail). Next she drew the prosthetics.

"Look here." She pointed to where the two intersected. "The way that Lincoln's legs were amputated left me with little to work with. His legs from the knees down are gone. However, the upper leg is fully intact. This actually was a problem at first. I couldn't figure out a way to attach them. But now I have a way to do so and I can make it so that Lincoln is no longer in pain."

She began to draw again. "These are Nanobots. They are nanoscopic robots that will allow me to attach the new legs to his original. Once they are built I can inject them into Lincoln and program them to rebuild Lincoln's upper leg. They will form around Lincoln's leg bone along with actually replacing the bone with themselves. Normally this processes would be excruciatingly painful, but because Lincoln is in a temporary coma it can be done without any pain."

She drew more and started to connect the leg. "The drones will form the leg together, acting as replacements for his knee muscles and knee cap. They will be connecting themselves to both the leg and his nerves. This will allow Lincoln to walk like normal, although, he will need to relearn how."

Luna followed Lisa as she walked over to a computer. "There are a few variables that I need to work out but as of now all I need is time. When the legs are finished and attached to Lincoln, I will need to inject an excess amount of the Nanobots into him. This will allow the legs to grow as he grows. Although these new legs will make Lincoln about four inches taller right away."

Lisa walked back to the pile and started to examine the parts. "I could go on and explain more but I doubt you would understand. Regardless I must get to work, if I start now I should be done in 126 hours."

Luna was stunned, she knew her younger sister was a genius, but 126 hours? that's like..."You mean you can fix Lincoln in five days?" Lisa grinned. "Actually I could fix Lincoln in four. The other 30 hours are required for getting the FDA, the hospital and most importantly our parents to sign off on the plan. Now if you don't mind I need to get to work."

With that Luna was kicked out. She heard the door lock as it was closed behind her. "Five days and we will have our brother back. Just five days." Luna couldn't help but smile at the notion. She looked to her eldest sisters' room. "I have to tell everyone."

Luna ran to Lori's and Leni's room and knocked on the door. "What?" Was the answer she got. "Lori open the door we need to have an emergency family meeting. Now." There was a click and the door swung open. Lori looked at Luna with a worried expression. "Why is something wrong?"

Luna smiled at her as she shook her head. "No, it's about Lincoln. More specifically I now know how long he has to be in a coma and that he is getting new legs."

Lori looked at her in shock. Snapping out of it she gently pushed past her and began to call the rest of their family to her room.

When Luna had finished telling the remaining Louds what Lisa had told her they were all silent. This news was rather unexpected and Lori looked at Luna in shock. "Wait you're saying that Lisa will finish Lincoln's legs and he will be home in five days?"

Luna looked down a little. "Well I don't know if he'll be home in five days, he will probably need to have testing done to make sure that his body is healing well. But at least he will be recovered."

Lori felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. She had been worried sick about her brother since the accident and now Lincoln would be fine and everything would be back to normal.

Luna cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Lisa did say however that Lincoln still wouldn't be able to walk for sometime afterwords and that he would need to relearn how to walk. So he will probably be in a wheelchair for quite some time. I think that we all agree that we will do anything to help him. We need to keep Lincoln's spirits up and make sure that he is comfortable. This is going to probably be difficult for him."

Lori nodded in agreement. "Yeah this is going to be challenging for him. At least he already knows how to walk, so reteaching him shouldn't be too difficult for him. Mostly I'm just worried about his mind. After all, this is going to be a huge change for him and I'm not entirely sure if he was fully aware that he lost his legs."

The room grew silent as they thought over her words. Lynn suddenly spoke, startling a few of her sisters. "Look guys, I don't know a lot about how to help Lincoln with his mind but I can at least help him relearn how to walk. Maybe after he can walk again he should see a psycho doctor or something. All I know is that I'll do anything to make sure that Lincoln can walk again. After all it is the least I can do for him." She said the last part barely loud enough for the closest of her sisters to hear her.

Lori looked at her. "What do you mean it's the least you can do for him?" Lynn looked at her with a frown. "Seriously? All I have ever done is force him to do things that he didn't want to do. Not to mention that Lincoln saved all of our lives. I just want to do something nice for Lincoln for once."

With that said Lynn got up and walked out of the room, Lucy following closely behind. "Wait Lynn. Slow down." Lori heard a door close and she looked back at the rest of the family. "Does any one else have anything that they want to say?" They looked at one another before shaking their heads.

"Alright then. Tomorrow we can discuss what we can do to make life easier for Lincoln. Until then this meeting is over." She grabbed her shoe and slammed it on her desk, signifying the end of the meeting.

Lori watched as her sisters and parents left the room. Sighing Lori grabbed her phone and headed down stairs. "I suppose I should give Bobby a call. He and Ronnie Ann should know what's going on."

Do to current events Lori hadn't gotten the chance to call Bobby. Not to mention that her phone broke, so she had to dig around and find one of the old ones that still worked. She had kept minutes on it incase of an emergency. She had pulled up her contacts and was just about to select her boyfriend's number when there was a sudden knock on the front door.

Sighing, she walked over to the front door. She opened the door and to her surprise there standing before her was a familiar looking man. He was tall and had an eye patch. It was Jim, the man who saved them at the hospital. He was holding in one hand his walking cane and in the other a dish.

"Hello deary, how are you and your family faring?" He asked with his lopsided smile. Lori was slightly taken off guard by his voice. She had heard him speak before, but his voice seemed like it didn't quite belong and his accent sounded both familiar and completely foreign.

"I'm doing fine Mr Wade. How are you?" Jim let out a raspy yet hearty chuckle. "I'm quite alright, but please call me Jim. Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and see how you and your family are faring. It must be quite stressful, what with what happened at the hospital and with your brother."

Yet again Lori was taken by surprise. "Wait, how did you know what happened to Lincoln? It has only been two days." Jim gave a half frown. "Didn't you hear? It's all over the news. I just found out just before I came over. I didn't realize that the man at the hospital was the same man who hit your brother with his car. Apparently the man was fired from his job at the sewage treatment plant."

He paused for a second before continuing. "Any way, how is he doing? I know it's a bit of a loaded question and frankly it's none of my business, but it can help to talk about it."

Lori was about to speak when she heard her name called from behind her. She turned and saw her father looking at her from the kitchen. "Lori is someone at the door?"

Lori nodded as her father walked towards her.

He saw Jim standing outside the house. "Oh, hello Jim. It is nice to see you again. Is there something you need help with?" Jim gave a half smile. "No sir, I just wanted to see how your family is faring and I brought a pie. I wasn't sure what your family liked so I went with chocolate cream. I hope you'll like it."

At the word "chocolate" Lori couldn't help but smile. "Ah, seems like chocolate was a good choice." Jim handed Lori the largest pie plate she had ever seen. Her father looked at it and told Lori to bring it to the kitchen. On the way she could hear them taking about how her father owned a restaurant and how Jim owned a bakery. She didn't hear much else as she got into the kitchen.

She set the pie on the counter and with a great amount of effort on her part she walked away from it. As she headed back to the door she saw Jim hand her father what looked like two business cards. As she got to the door she could hear her father say, "Are you sure you can't come in? We have coffee or tea."

Jim held up his hand. "No thanks Mr Loud, but I've got to get going. Maybe next time." He turned his gaze to Lori. "You and you family have a good evening." After saying goodbye they watched as he walked to his house.

When Lori saw which house was his she was a little shocked. He had moved into the large house across the street, it had been abandoned for sometime due to how expensive it was. As her father closed the door she looked at him.

"Jeez, he must be loaded. Nobody has been in that house for almost twelve years." Her father nodded. "Yeah I think your right. He owns a bakery and when he gave me his business card he gave me another one saying that he was a psychologist as well. Apparently he only works at the bakery on weekends. The rest of the time he works from home or volunteers."

Lori took the cards from him and read them. "Wild Fox Bakery" and "Dr. James Wade PhD Psychology." She handed them back to her father. "Jeez, didn't he say he was only twenty? He must be a genius like Lisa."

"Actually eldest sibling, Dr Wade's IQ is rivaled by few." Both Lori and Lynn Sr jumped at the unexpected voice. Turning to face the voice they both held their chests. "In fact no one has ever been able to accurately calculate his intelligence. Some say it rivals even the IQ of Nikola Tesla himself. Although Dr Wade has kept his studies in less tecnological sciences, having a PhD in psychology, english, geology, archeology, and chemistry. He received his last PhD almost four years ago. He spent two years after as a professor in Dartmouth teaching psychology, until he moved to France. For the last two years he spent his time learning how to cook from some of the greatest chefs in the world. Now he has, for who knows what reason, decided to move to royal woods Michigan."

Lori and their father looked at Lisa with amazement. "That is literally, super impressive, but how do you know all this?" Lisa adjusted her glasses. "After the incident at the hospital and learning that he had become our neighbor, I decided to do some research. I do have to say I was surprised that I had never heard of him before. It seems that our neighbor likes his privacy and ironically it may be a good idea to not ask him too many questions about it. For what ever reason he doesn't want anyone to know where he lives, as for a while he dropped of the map, between living in France and living here."

She turned around and started for the stairs. "Now as much as I would like to continue this discussion about our bizarre and rather heroic neighbor, I must get back to work."

Once Lisa had returned to her room Lori and her father again shared a confused look. They both walked over to the window and looked over to Jim's house. "Odd." Lori said before turning for the couch. "Odd indeed. If you need me I will be finishing dinner." Her father replied as he headed for the kitchen.

An hour had passed and Lori had just gotten off of the phone with her boyfriend. Bobby had been trying to get a hold of Lori for the last two days after he had heard that Lincoln had been hit by a car. Apparently he and his little sister, Ronnie Ann, had been watching the news when a braking news report came on.

They had heard that Lincoln had been walking to school with his sisters, when a drunk driver had hit ice, crashing into Lincoln as he pushed his sisters out of the way. They had been shocked and when Ronnie Ann had seen the report she had started to cry for her friend. When they had heard that the same man had held Lori and her sisters hostage after killing two police officers Bobby had begun to call Lori non-stop.

Lori explained what had happened to her phone and what had been happening with Lincoln since his accident. She even mentioned Jim and how he saved them.

When Lori had asked what else they had heard on the report, Bobby had told her to turn on the television. She said goodbye to Bobby and was now watching the updated report.

"We now come to you live with an update to the drunk driving incident that acurred Monday morning." Lori looked towards the stairs as Luna, Lynn and Lucy came down them. They all headed for the living room once they realized what the report was about.

"The man driving has been identified as a Carver McCann. McCann had just been fired from his job working at a sewage treatment plant. His previous employer came forward saying that he was fired for drinking on the job that very morning."

"Infuriated, McCann drove off. He hit a young boy named Lincoln Loud, who had seen the car coming in time to push his sisters out of the way..." Lori stopped paying close attention as they went on, only picking up a few key things.

The first was that there was a trial set for the beginning of January. She wasn't looking forward to that. The second thing that caught her attention was the man's

last name, McCann. For some reason that name sounded familiar. The more she heard it the more she knew that she had heard it, where from she could not place.

"McCann." She said out loud. Luna looked over at her. "What?" Lori met her gaze. "Does the name McCann sound familiar to you?" The girls thought for a moment. Lucy started to nod. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I have heard Lincoln talk about someone with the name McCann before. Why do you ask?" Lori thought for a moment. "I don't know, it just seems like something bad is going to happen."

A/N

Here we go another chapter done. This chapter didn't take nearly as long to write and I do hope to update more frequently, but no promises. Do tell me what you think of Dr Wade and what you think about my story in general. I hope you enjoy my story but if you don't have a good one regardless.


	7. Chapter 7

It was about 3:00 in the morning and Lynn was lying on Lincoln's bed holding Bunbun in one hand and had her other wrapped around the sleeping form of Lucy. She hadn't slept much since Lincoln had been in the hospital. The first night she had barely slept at all and Last night she had been awake for most of the night taking with Lucy and when they had both finally fallen asleep Lynn was restlessly fidgeting. She was sweating heavily and her breathing was rapid and uneven.

She was dreaming that she had walked in through the front door of the house, with an angry expression. She had lost another baseball game. That made three in the last week alone and every time that her team lost, Lincoln had been there. It was only when he had started to go to her games that she lost and she heard herself yell out to Lincoln. "Lincoln, get in here." She was surprised at how angry she sounded.

Lincoln walked in behind her, with a nervous look in his eyes. "Yes? Lynn?" Lynn was a bit thrown off by how scared he sounded as she walked up to him. "Why is it that every time that you come to one of my game, I end up losing? I thought that you said that you weren't bad luck." Lynn was shocked as she heard herself speak, "Why the hell did I say that? I don't think that he's bad luck anymore."

Much to her horror she felt as she tightened her grip on the baseball bat in her hand and raised it. She could see the terror in Lincoln's eyes as she drew closer to him. "I'm sick and tired of you, you are always messing things up for me and my sisters." "Wait, her sisters?"

"You are a mistake and no one will ever love you! I wish that you were never born!" Lynn watched as her brother cowered in fear as she swung the bat at him. She tried with all her might as she tried to stop herself from hitting him.

She wasn't strong enough. She heard the sickening sound of the bat connecting with Lincoln, as she repeatedly beat him. She felt sick to her stomach and she couldn't breathe. She heard the sound of laughter as she kept striking him. She looked around to see if she could find the source of the sound, but she realized it was her who was laughing. She finally stopped hitting Lincoln once she heard someone call out to her. "Lynn, stop bullying your brother, diner is ready."

"Just a second." She heard herself call back. She looked down at her brother and swung the bat one final time, just before it came into contact with his bleeding face; she sat strait up in Lincoln's bed and let out a scream. She felt sick to her stomach and felt bile start to rise in her throat. She felt as a confused Lucy sat up next to her as she stumbled out of bed.

She fell to the floor and scrambled to her feet, rushing out the door and down the hall, to the bathroom. She could hear Lucy calling after her and as she passed by the other rooms she could hear the doors open. She ran into the bathroom and had barely enough time to get the toilet seat up before she started to throw up the remains of diner. She started to dry heave and could hear the sounds of confusion and worry heading towards her, but she paid them no heed.

The only thoughts that were going threw her mind was that she was the worst person in the world and a worse sister. She thought that she was a bully and she hated herself. She felt the urge to purge her body pass and she fell to the floor. She could feel vomit on the front of her night shirt but didn't care as she started to sob uncontrollably.

She was spiraling out of control and was having another panic attack. She had, had one on the first night that Lincoln was in the hospital, but was able to get a hold over it pretty easily. Now, she thought that she was going to die. Her lungs were on fire as she fought for breath and she was getting tunnel vision. She curled into a tight ball and shook as she sobbed in fear. "I'm sorry Lincoln, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I'll never play another sport for as long as I live, just please forgive me."

Lynn continued to sob harder as her mind filled with panic and didn't notice when her sisters started to filter into the bathroom around her. She jumped and cowered as she felt a hand being gently placed onto her. She saw Lori giving her a worried look and Lynn tried to call out to her, but her voice hitched in her throat. She heard as Lori turned to face Lucy and told her to take their younger sisters to her room and wait. Lucy just nodded and the four younger Louds headed for Lori's room.

Lori turned her attention to Luan and told her to get mom and dad. She told Luna and Leni the help her get Lynn cleaned up and Lynn watched as Luna knelt down next to Lori and Leni walked over to the shower, turning it on, before coming over to help. She just laid there silently as they began to strip off her dirty clothes and as they gently lifted her into the soothing spray of the shower.

She stared at the floor of the tub as she felt her hair band being pulled off and as she felt hands starting to wash her hair. She was embarrassed by how she was getting treated and felt that she didn't deserve their pity, but as the hot water and the soothing hands of her sisters washed over her she began to relax a little. Her breathing was starting to slow and her vision was beginning to return to normal. She closed her eyes and for the first time since before the accident, she stopped thinking. It felt really good.

As her shower came to a close she continued to feel better. She was now out of the shower and her older sisters had begun to wrap warm towels around her naked body. She was lead to Lori's room where she saw the rest of her sister and their parents patiently waiting. The sight of her family being so calm and quiet threw her off a little, but didn't say anything and followed the guidance of her sisters.

She was sat down on Lori's bed and she felt as two pairs of arms wrapped around her. She looked up and saw Lucy and Lori looking at her with concern. She slowly brought her gaze back to the floor and just stared. She was feeling embarrassed again, she had never been shy before but right now she felt a bit uncomfortable with her family looking at her. They all sat in silence as Lynn tried to get comfortable. She felt someone get onto the bed behind her and jumped a little as the towel around her hair was pulled away and she relaxed a little as she felt them start to gently brush her hair. She had never really spent much time worrying about her hair, just spending enough time to make sure it was untangled enough to put it into her signature ponytail, but to be honest she was really beginning to enjoy it.

Someone cleared their throat and Lynn looked up to see the concerned look of her mother. "Lynn, honey, what is wrong? Did something happen?"

Lynn took a few deep breaths and hesitated before answering. She felt as Lucy grasped her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Lynn gave her a hug of gratitude and began. "I miss Lincoln" she started as her eyes began to water. "I had a bad dream, that's all."

She was really wishing that there wasn't so many people in the room with her at the moment, but didn't say anything. "Lynn, what was the dream about? Her father asked. Lynn's crying grew a little stronger. "I…I…I hurt Lincoln." There were a couple gasps and she covered her face in shame. She felt Lori's hand on her back and she began to rub her back. "Listen Lynn, we all knew that you wouldn't ever intentionally hurt Lincoln.

Lynn felt worse. "But I have hurt him, whether I intended to or not, like whenever I try to get him to play or spar with me, or during that stupid bad luck incident." Everyone visibly shuddered at the mention of the incident. Lynn felt as Lori leaned down as she softly spoke to her. "Listen Lynn, that was literally over a year ago. You need to forgive yourself, Lincoln already has and it's not like you are the only one to blame for what happened. The rest of us are just as reasonable for what happened, some more so then others. For heaven's sake Lynn you're only 13. Your older sisters and I are almost adults and part of being an adult is to learn from our mistakes so that hopefully next time we can avoid them. The fact that you are this distraught from a nightmare just proves that you have learned from you mistake and that you don't want to make a similar mistake again."

Lynn wiped away the tears that were falling from her eyes. "I just miss Lincoln, okay." Lynn looked at her hands while everyone else looked from her to each other. Lori tightened her grip on her. "Lynn, we all miss Lincoln and we all have bad dreams. After we got back from the hospital on the first night I dreamt about getting shot. It's completely normal to dream about our fears, but it's important not to let them take over. It is hard not to, but just remember that we love you and so does Lincoln."

"Guys it's 4:42 in the morning. We should all get to bed and get some sleep. Lynn, if you want you and Lucy can sleep in her with me and Leni." Lynn looked up at her. "No it's fine, I'll just get dressed and go back to Lincoln's room. It helps me sleep a little better. Lucy, you can sleep in here if you want, but I can't."

Lucy pressed her face into Lynn's chest and hugged her. "No, I want to be with you and sleeping in Lincoln's room makes me feel closer to him." Lynn nodded and stood up. "Good night, every one. Sorry I woke you all." After several goodbyes and a few hugs every one left to go back to bed.

Lynn still couldn't help but to feel guilty as she headed for her room to get dressed. She grabbed a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt and got dressed before heading back to Lincoln's room. She laid down next to Lucy and wrapped an arm around her. Her other arm slide to lay next to her and she felt her hand land on something. She pulled it up and gave a small, sad smile when she saw it was Bunbun. She pulled the bunny to her chest and hugged it. "Goodnight, Lincoln." She whispered before slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Lynn awoke to the smell of food cooking. She opened her eyes and felt the warm body of Lucy still in her arms. She was mildly surprised that she hadn't had another nightmare and was relived that she hadn't. She looked over at Lincoln's alarm clock and saw that it was 11:27 and she gave a unsatisfied sigh. She had hoped that she would have sleped in more, after not sleeping well the previous night. She yawned and stretched as she slipped out from under Lucy.

She made her way to her room and got dressed for the day. Not feeling overly sporty, she opted to just wear a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt, slipping on a black zip up hoody over it. She walked out of her shared bed room and headed down the stairs. As she approached the kitchen she could see Lori at the stove cooking. "Hey Lori." She greeted before going to the fridge and pouring herself a glass of orange juice, slowly sipping it as she sat at the table.

"Good morning Lynn. You're up earlier than expected. What's with the clothes? You didn't even put up your hair." Lynn was a little caught off by the question. "I just felt like having a change. As for the hair, I just didn't think about it." Lori gave her a look. "I like it and I'm sure everyone else will to. You should keep it down more often, it really makes your eyes pop." Lynn blushed a little at her sister's complement. "err, thanks."

Before Lynn could think of anything to say Lori handed Lynn a plate of food. She began to eat and found that, much to her surprise it was actually not half bad. Lori was not exactly known for her ability to cook, but it seemed that she must have picked up a thing or two from working with their father in his restaurant. Speaking of which… "Lori where are mom and dad? Aren't we going to go to see Lincoln?"

Lori stopped mid step as she headed back for the stove. "Well. See, mom and dad had to go back to work so we can afford the medical bills and they took the van, so we can't go today. I wish we could, but until Vanzilla is fixed, we can't go. And well…" Lynn looked at her. "Well what?" Lori turned to face her. Mom and dad were talking this morning when I came down and I hear them discussing your dream. When they saw me they told me that they called Jim and asked if he had any appointments today. They want me to take you to see him and see if he can help you."

"Okay." Lori didn't seem to process what she said right away. "I know that you won't want to… Wait what? Your okay with seeing him?" Lynn nodded. "If he can make it so I won't have another nightmare like that again, then yeah." She paused to sip her orange juice. "So when am I supposed to see him?"

Lori began to place plates of food onto the table. "2:00. Okay Lynn, you eat, I'm going to go and wake up our sisters for breakfast." Lynn nodded. She could hear Lori's footsteps fade away as she headed for the stairs. She continued to eat as she began to think to herself. "I hate Psychology, but I really don't want another nightmare. I also really don't want what ever happened after to happen again, it felt like I was suffocating."

As she continued to think to herself her thoughts began to go back to her dream. "Why was my dream so horrid, would I ever hit Lincoln with a bat? I know that I can get a bit too over enthusiastic and I get a bit carried away. I don't mean to be so rough, it's just…" Her thoughts were interrupted mid way as she felt a hand land on her shoulder, causing her to jump and let out a startled yelp. She turned and saw Luna was giving her a worried look. "You okay little dude? You're kinda just staring off into space."

Lynn felt her face get a little warm and looked down at her empty plate. "Yeah, just thinking." Luna sat down next to her. "You wanna talk about it?" Lynn shook her head. "Thanks but no. Lori is going to take me to talk to Jim later, so it would just be a waste of your time." She felt Luna wrap an arm around her. "Lynn it wouldn't be a waste of my time. I care for you and I just want to make sure that you doing okay. I know that you're worried about Lincoln, we all are, just make sure you know that we are here for each other. If you ever need to talk, just let me know, okay?"

Lynn nodded. "Thanks." She felt Luna bring her hand to her hair, running it down her hair. "You know, I don't think I've seen you with your hair down since you were eight. It really suits you." Lynn felt her face start to burn a little hotter. "Err… Thanks" She said, finishing her glass of orange juice. She stood up and brought her dish to the sink, then headed for the living room. "Talk to you later Luna." She called over her shoulder as she exited the dining area.

She could see the rest of her sisters either heading for breakfast or walking down the stairs. They all exchanged greetings as she made her way for the couch. She sat down and turned on the television, barely paying attention to the basketball game that was on. In the few days it had been since Lincoln had been in the hospital, she hadn't watched or played any sports, nor had she really wanted to.

Lynn suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Lana looking up at her. "Yeah?" Lana hesitated a little before answering. "Hey Lynn, me and Lola want to know if you want to play with us outside later? You don't have to but…" Lynn interrupted her. "Yeah sure." Lana's face lit up as she gave Lynn an incomplete smile."Thanks Lynn."

Lynn watched as she ran off and couldn't help but to let out an amused snort. "No reason to just sit around and mope all day, I guess going out to play with the kid's couldn't hurt." Lynn heard a monotonous sigh and she turned to see Lucy sitting next to her. She jumped a little at her sudden appearance. "How do you do that?"

Lucy gave her a miniscule smile before answering. "Lynn, there is always a reason to mope around all day. It's up to you to choose whether or not to." Lynn opened her mouth to reply, but found herself thinking over her sister's words. "Yeah I guess you right. Instead of worrying about Lincoln all the time, we could be thinking of ways to help him adjust. Maybe we should have a sibling meeting later to figure out what to do."

Both jumped at the sound of a voice behind them. "You know, that's a great idea." Lynn turned to see Lori standing behind her. "After I bring you to see Jim, I'll call a sibling meeting and we can figure out what to do. I know that I would at least feel better knowing that I can do something to help Lincoln."

There was a sudden choir of agreement coming from the kitchen and Lori turned to see the rest of their sisters poking their heads out of the door way. "Hey, don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?" Luan started to laugh and the others smiled sheepishly. "When has that ever stopped any of us before?"

Lynn couldn't help but to give an amused snort at the irony of Lori's words. "Coming from the one who was eavesdropping on my conversation with Lucy." Lori's face turned red and she pulled out her phone. "I was just coming to tell you to get ready to go. You have a little over an hour before you have to go and see Jim."

Lynn looked at her a little surprised, she hadn't realized how much time had passed. "Okay, but I'm mostly ready. Guess all that's left to do is to wait."

* * *

A/N

Sorry for taking so long between chapters, been a bit busy and I haven't been feeling the best, making it hard to think. I know some people are tired of hearing about the No Such Luck incident, but I find it is important to acknowledge. You can't just ignore history, especially when it effects character development.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was not the easiest to write, I now know what writers block feels like. I hope to get the next chapter out by my birthday, but no promises. Have a good one.


	8. Chapter 8

Lori let out a sigh as she walked down the stairs. She spotted Lynn still sitting on the couch with Lucy and walked up to her. "Come on Lynn it's time to go." Lynn just nodded and stood, saying farewell to Lucy. Lynn and Lori pulled on their winter clothes and headed for the door. Lori opened the door, but saw Lynn hesitate.

"You know it's okay to be nervous, if you would like, I could come in with you. Of course it is completely up to you." Lynn looked down at the floor. "It's not that… well, actually I am a little nervous. It's just, I won't feel better until Lincoln is back home and I'm starting to wonder if this is really a good idea. I mean it was just a dumb dream."

Lori knelt in front of her and took her hand. "Lynn, this isn't just about your dream. You've barely left Lincoln's room since he's been in the hospital; you haven't played any sports or made anything into a competition. We are all worried about Lincoln and we all have had a hard time sleeping. I don't want you to think that you are being singled out or anything. In fact mom wants you to see Jim first to see if he would be able to help everyone else as well. She wants us all to see him; she just set you up an appointment first because you had your nightmare."

Lynn slowly lifted her head to meet Lori's gaze. "I think I understand." She turned her face back down to the floor and her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Were you serious about coming with me?" Lori smiled down at her unusual shyness. "Of course Lynn, but we really should get going. We're literally going to be late." Lynn nodded and they headed out the door.

They made their way across the street and Lori knocked on the door. Moments later they heard the sound of footsteps and a rhythmic clicking. The door opened and Jim gave them his odd have smile. "Good afternoon dearies. You're right on time, just put on a pot for hot chocolate. Would you two like some?" Lynn and Lori gave him bright smiles while nodding. "Yes please!"

Jim turned with a smile, waving them in. "Come on in, you can leave you coats in the foyer. Just go down the hall and go through the first door on your left. Make yourselves at home, I will be right with you." Lori and Lynn hung their coats on the rack as Jim headed through a door on the right. The smell of chocolate and cinnamon floated around them as they headed to their destination.

As they passed through the door their mouths dropped a little. Unlike the foyer and the adjacent hall, which had been painted a plain white and bore little furniture, this room was incredible. It was a large living room, with a large hearth fire place made of beautiful granite and marble bricks. The walls were designed to appear like an old log cabin, with an open framed ceiling.

In one of the far corners was a large Christmas tree, covered in blinking lights, and handmade ornaments and candy canes. Facing the fire place was a rustic sofa, made of uncut white oak. Off to the side was a beautifully crafted, wooden arm chair facing the sofa. It had hand carved foxes on the ends of the arm rests and the tops of the back rest. In front of the sofa was a handmade coffee table. It was sitting on a hand weaved wool rug.

As they made their way to sit on the sofa, Lynn and Lori could see hand painted portraits of animals on the walls. Mostly foxes, wolves and deer, but other animals as well. There was the occasional landscape painting of forests, but they all contained some form of animal.

As Lori and Lynn sat, they looked at one another with wide eyes. Lynn spoke first. "Geez, this place is amazing." Lori nodded. "Yeah, where do you think he got all of his painting and that chair? This artist is incredible."

They both jumped at the sound of laughter. "Thanks, I thought they came out pretty good too. Really goes with the walls I think." Lori looked at him in shock. "Wait, you painted all these and carved your chair?" Jim nodded as he came hobbling over. "Yes my dear, there isn't much I own that I didn't make. Not to sound egotistical, I just like creating things. If I want something I can't find I make it. It also helps that I have a lot of time on my hands, now that I moved to this here small city. I have a feeling I will be doing a lot more from now on."

He set a tray down on the coffee table, there were three mugs of very aromatic hot chocolate and a plate of cookies. He place a mug in front of each of them and set the other on the other side of the table near his chair. he then set the platter of cookies in the middle of the table. "Carful their hot." He walked over to his chair and sat.

"I hope you like snicker doodles, I just came up with a new recipe for them and I wanted to see if people liked them before I try selling them at my bakery." Lori and Lynn both took a cookie and looked at it, smiling. "Hey these are shaped as Foxes." He half smiled at Lynn. "Yeah, you've probably noticed a theme. What can I say? I really like foxes."

He gave them a slightly mischievous look. "You know, I have a fox. Her name is Ember and if you're lucky, you might see her." He let out a small chuckle as Ember crawled between Lynn's and Lori's legs, out from under the couch. She sniffed at them and let them pat her, before she made her way over to Jim, jumping onto his lap. Jim set down his cane as she did and began to stroke her fur. Lori couldn't help but to give a small chuckle when she saw that the handle of his cane was a hand carved fox.

The two Loud bit into their cookies and smiled as Lori looked up at Jim. "This is literally the best cookie I have ever had. How did you manage to get them soft and crunchy at the same time?" Jim ran a hand through his hair as he thought about how to answer. "Oh It's all in the oven. I only ever use a wood fire oven. It keeps the inside nice and soft, while the outside gets more done. Most people find that they prefer one over the other, so I decided to find a perfect mixture of the two. So…tell me what do you think?"

Lynn grabbed another and stuffed it into her mouth. "Perfect." Bits of cookie landing on her shirt as she spoke. Jim gave her an amused look. "Good to hear. So, I heard that your father had a restaurant. Does he cook for your family?" Lynn sat up a little at the mention of her father's food. "Yeah, he cooks us dinner every night. He used to cook the same thing every week, but after we convinced him to try making new things each night, he decided to open Lynn's Table."

"Hmm, Lynn's Table? I've passed by a few times. It's usually packed, so I haven't had a chance to go yet. I should see if I can set a reservation some time." He paused for a moment. "I noticed that you and your father have the same name. does that make you Jr.?" Lynn nodded. "Yeah, the doctors thought that I was going to be a boy, so he named me after him. It wasn't until after I was born that the doctor realized that I wasn't, so he didn't have another name for me. Luckily Lynn is both."

Jim continued to pet Ember as he spoke. "Tell me about yourself a little. Do you have any pets? What are your hobbies? Perhaps your favorite subjects in school?" Lori could see Lynn relax as Jim asked her questions. "Well we have Charles the dog, Cliff the cat, Geo the hamster, and there's Walt the canary. My roommate, Lucy, has a bat named Fangs. One of my older sisters, Luan, has Garry who is a rabbit. One of my younger sisters, Lana has a ton of animals, the ones I know of are her frog Hopps, her lizard Izzy and her snake El Diablo."

Jim's eye widened in surprise. "Gee, that's a lot of animals."

Lynn nodded. "Yeah it is, but the house wouldn't be quite the same without them. Uhh… Favorite subjects at school? Well I don't know if I'd say I like it, but I'm really good at math." Lynn's mouth turned to a smile as she sipped her hot chocolate. "Wow this is really good. Did you put cinnamon in it?"

Jim smiled at her. "Yeah, good pallet."

Lynn continued. "There is Phys Ed, which is my favorite subject." Her face turned a little red as she went on. "Actually Phys Ed kind of ties into my hobbies. I play all sports and I'm really good at them. Although, I think baseball might be my favorite."

Jim nodded as Lynn finished. "Fascinating… Do any of you siblings ever join you in sports?"

Lynn's face fell at his question. "Well not really. I mean sometimes I can get Lana to play something. She really likes to get dirty, but it's not really her thing. Then there's Lincoln…" Lynn stopped as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

Jim pulled out a box of tissue and passed them to Lynn. She took one and whipped her eyes. "Lincoln would usually play or spar with me, but I don't think that he liked it very much."

Jim thought for a moment before responding. "Why do you think that Lincoln didn't like playing sports with you?"

Lynn looked at her hot chocolate nervously. "I, err… I tend to get a little… a lot carried away. I have trouble controlling my strength and he gets hurt often. That and… I… I'm not that nice."

Jim gave her a half frown. "What do you mean, not that nice?"

Lynn set her mug on the table and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I once threatened him with a bat, because he didn't want to come to one of my baseball games. I wasn't going to hit him or anything… I just wanted him to come. He hadn't come to any of my game for a while and I… I missed hanging out with him. We used to be really close when we were young, and after he moved into his own room and moved in with Lucy, we slowly started to drift apart. I just want to spend time with him, that's all."

Lori was shocked. She had hoped that Lynn would open up, but she hadn't expected her too. Lynn was never much for expressing her emotions, she and Lucy really matched each other in that regard. She looked at Jim. She saw his eye look at her and she could have sworn that he was giving her a knowing look. That's when it dawned on her. "That Jackass, he planned this whole conversation. Giving us cacao and cookies. Talking to us in his living room and showing us his fox. He just wanted to get Lynn to open up."

Her respect for Jim was growing by the second and she almost choked on her hot chocolate when he gave her an amused look. It was almost like he could read her thoughts. She felt her face turn a little red and she turned her attention back to Lynn.

"You must think I'm a horrible sister." Jim held his hand out, offering her another cookie and Lynn accepted. "Not at all dear, I think that you have difficulty expressing you feelings and you act out in anger because you can't vent properly. If you learned to think before you act, now bare with me. If you really think before you act, then you will find it a lot easier to control yourself before you do something you come to regret."

Lynn nodded in understanding as he continued. "Now I am curtain that you regret how you treated him in the past and I know that you are learning from your mistakes. Do not think for even a second that you should not make mistakes, just try to avoid making the same one over again. Learn from your mistakes and you will become a better person. Now I know for a fact, from what I've heard, that Lincoln is a really nice guy. I'm no expert, but I would assume that he doesn't hold grudges, right?"

Lynn nodded. "Then I can say under good authority that he has forgiven you for your transgressions. Has he continued to hang out with you, even if it's not very often?" Lynn nodded again. "Then I'm curtain that despite his resistance against sports, he still likes to hang out with you. If he didn't I don't think that he would continue to join you. Of course I have never met him, though I would love to, I can say this. If Lincoln has forgiven you, then why can't you?"

Lynn looked at him in shock. "I…I…Uh…" Jim gave her a little half smile. "Don't worry dear. If you can learn to forgive yourself, then you will stop felling so angry, you will develop a stronger relationship with, not only your brother, but the rest of your family. Now I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. This is going to be one of the hardest things you do. Ever. Few face challenges harder that you and your family are right now, but know this. If you let me, I will do everything in my power to help you."

He paused to emphasize his words. "I don't know why, but I find you and your family very fascinating and likable. I would like to speak with you all, again you and your family's choice, but I believe that I can, not only help you with your anger, your difficulty with expressing yourself, and your nightmares, but help the rest of your family as well." He turned to face Lori. "I can even help you with your nightmares as well."

Lori was taken aback. "Wait… How did you know…"

Jim cut her off. "I could even help with Lincoln's recovery"

Lori and Lynn just stared at him while he sipped his hot chocolate. "How can you help Lincoln? I thought that you were a Phsyc Doctor, not a medical Doc." Jim set down his mug and grabbed his cane, roughly smacking his leg, making a loud clinking sound. Ember sat her head up, giving him an annoyed look before laying back down. "You think Lincoln is the only one who has ever lost a leg?" He put his cane back where he previously placed it and proceeded to roll up his pant leg.

"I lost my leg when I was learning to cook in France. Got hit by a train. Doc told me I was lucky to have lived at all, said I was some kind of superman or something. I lost my left eye and the nerves in half my face stopped working, I should have died… Anyway, after a few surgeries I was sent back to the house I was staying at. I went through some serious depression face and laid around all day, every day for months. One day I decided I was tired of it and bought myself a fancy new leg. It was a lot of hard work, but I eventually relearned how to walk. I also taught myself to paint and carve wood, had a lot of down time if you know what I mean?" He gave an odd wiggle of his eyebrow, causing Lori and Lynn to let out a small set of giggles.

"Anyway, that's a story for a different time. The point is, no one should go through feeling like that. Your parents told me that your second youngest sister, Impressive by the way, is building him a new pair of permanent legs. Using some pretty fancy tech in them too, from what I hear. So none of you have to worry about that part at least. Of course getting new legs is the easy part, getting him to relearn how to walk is the part that will take serious work, not only for him but for you. I will be stressing and exhausting. At some points it will seem like an impossible task, but believe me when I say that it's not. Of course the nano-mites that dear young Lisa plans to inject into Lincoln will help. Will probably get rid of any pain and will heal the damaged nerves."

He paused with another half smile. "Haha, I would love to pick her brain about that when she has a moment…"

Suddenly the sound of a clock went off and Jim looked at his watch. "Ah, sorry girls, but times up. I wish I had more time, but I made plans to…" Jim stopped mid sentence, a smile slowly swept up the right side of his face.

"You know what? I have an idea. What do you girls think of a little volunteer work?" Lori and Lynn gave him questioning looks and he continued. "Two young girls, about your brother's age, are coming over to work on a project I have going on at the local middle school. It is a holiday festival of sorts and we need more helping hands. I have spoken with the entire body of teachers at the Elementary, the Middle and the High schools and we have arranged to give extra credit to any students who wish to take part. If you two and you sisters would like to help, I could give you things to do that would help you stay positive and would help in this coming school year. If you decide that this is something that you all want to do, than once Lincoln is home and situated, he could come as well, if he wants to that is."

Lori and Lynn gave each other thoughtful looks before turning back to Jim. "I don't know Jim, that's quite a lot to take in. I mean I would never say no to getting extra credit, but I don't know about the other girls…"

Jim nodded but kept his smile. "I fully understand. I just know that getting out and doing stuff helps. When I was just getting back on my feet, I started to volunteer at a local library. It was hard, but getting out to see new and familiar faces reminded me that things will get better."

Lori and Lynn nodded. "Yeah, I guess that we can talk to the others about it when we get back home. What do you say, Lynn?" Lynn nodded. "Yeah, I agree, but even if none of the others want to, I will do it as long as Lincoln will."

Jim stood up, setting Ember onto the chair and grabbed his cane. "Good, stop by any time you want to talk or if you just want cookies. I'll be here until the week end, then I'll be at the bakery. Next week preparations will begin, so I'll only be here on Mondays and afternoon Wednesdays." Lori and Lynn stood up, finishing they hot chocolates and thanking Jim for his hospitality. Jim lead them to the front door and opened it just as a hand had gone up to knock on it.

Jim caught them as they started to fall forward and they righted themselves. "Sorry about that Jordan, didn't see you there." The girl smiled at him as a familiar looking girl stepped next to her. "It's all good Dr. Jim." Jim smiled back at her and moved to the side to allow the Loud girls to pass by. Lynn recognized the girls as soon as she saw them. "Hey Haiku. Hey Girl Jordan."

They gave her a slightly surprised look, but quickly their expressions changed to ones of worry. "Hey Lynn, how is Lincoln?" Lynn's face dropped little, but instantly perked back up. "He's still in the hospital, but he should be back home sometime next week. I bet he would be happy to see some friendly faces. You should come and see him then."

Both girls nodded and they said their farewells. Lynn and Lori headed across the street, while the other three headed into Jim's house. After Lori and Lynn walked through the door and had their snow clothes off, they turned to find their other sisters standing before them. Lori just rolled her eyes and walked towards the stairs. "Yes?"

Luna walked behind her, right next to Lynn and the rest followed behind. "What do you mean, yes? Spill!" Lori just continued up the stairs. "If you want to know about what we talked about Lynn, than you are going to have to ask her. If you are asking about Jim or Lincoln then come to my room for a sister meeting." Lori turned at the top of the stairs and headed for her room, her sisters close behind her.

She sat on her bed and waited for them to gather around her. Luan scooted forward a little and looked up at her expectantly. "Well?" Lori gave them as smile and opened her mouth. "Well, first of all his house is literally the coolest place I've ever been…"

* * *

A/N

Well, for those of you who were wondering when my birthday is, it is today,(the 11th).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it. Tell me, now that you know a little more about Jim, what do you think about him? Do tell me your thoughts, I might not answer all of your reviews, but I do read them all. Now I'm going to go and try to enjoy my birth day with my roommate. She is finally doing better after her surgery and we are going to have a little fun to celebrate. As always, have a good one. ^-^


	9. Chapter 9

The Loud sisters sat around Lori's bed as she and Lynn told them what had happened. Luna shook she head in confusion as she listened. "Wait, let me see if I get this straight. Jim is insanely rich, he has the most expensive house in Royal Woods, he owns a bakery, is a Psychologist, he got hit by a train, has a fake leg, one eye, and he has an obsession with foxes? Now you are telling us that he made most of what he owns and he volunteers? Does this guy ever sleep?"

Lori let out a small chuckle before answering her. "As much energy as this guy has, I'm sure he gets plenty of sleep. But that brings me to the next topic we have to discuss. Jim said that after his accident, he became depressed and it wasn't until he started to volunteer and help people that he began to get happy again. He won't even let mom and dad pay for our meetings. Apparently he told them that he already has too much money."

Luna gave her an unconvinced look. "I don't think that we could go as far as saying that we are depressed. Upset? Sure, but come on, we have more import…" Lori interrupted her, giving her a blank look.

"Seriously? We are all depressed. Lynn and I have nightmares, she stopped playing sports, I haven't talked to any of my friends since Lincoln has been in the hospital. I only called Bobby to let him and Ronnie Anne know what was going on. Luan hasn't told a single joke since Lincoln has been in a coma, Lucy hasn't written any poetry, the twins cry themselves to sleep every night, Leni hasn't made anything, Lisa hasn't left her room for more than an hour each day, our parents are exhausted and under a ton of stress because of the hospital bills and you haven't played any music, nor have you talked to Sam. You know your girlfriend…"

Lori's eyes widen as Luna started to cry and she ran to her side, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh my gosh, Luna I am so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I swear. I'm just worried about you and I'm sure Sam is too."

Luna returned Lori's hug and nodded. "I know that you didn't mean to make me cry. It's just… I… I miss Lincoln. I feel like no matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about him. I know that Lisa is making him new legs and I know that Lincoln will be fine physically. It's just, what about when he gets home? Nothing will be the same, he'll have machines for legs and he has to relearn to walk and… and… I don't want to see Sam because it won't be fair to her if I can't focus on her. I love her and we only recently got together. I just don't want to screw anything up with her…"

Luna broke off as she sobbed. She couldn't breathe and she felt like someone was standing on her chest. She broke away from Lori and curled on the floor, gasping for breath. Lynn ran to her and pulled her head onto her lap. "Luna, you are panicking. You have to breathe. Sam loves you and she will continue to love you, that's just how it works. She won't love you any less because you are worried about Lincoln, if anything she will love you more. If you talk to her and explain to her what is happening, I guaranty that she will understand. You just need to tell her that you love her and your brother and that you have been worried about him and that you would like to talk to her."

As Luna listened to Lynn's calming words, she began to relax. Her heart rate started to settle and the pressure in her chest lifted, allowing her to breathe. "Luna, you are a great big sister, you are a great friend and I'm sure that Sam would agree that you are a great girlfriend. I really believe that you have nothing to worry about, why don't you invite Sam over and see if she would like to help us figure out how to help Lincoln when he gets back home? I bet she would like that. From what I know about her, she is a kind person and if she managed to win over your rockin heart than I'm certain that…"

Lynn was cut off as Luna pulled her into a hug, sobbing as she held the slightly surprised Lynn. Their other sisters were so shocked by Lynn's sudden soft side, that it took them several moments to recover before rushing to join them. As they embraced their crying sister, Lori was feeling something other than shock. She was felling pride.

She knew that Lynn loved her brother and sisters, but she was never one to show such a level of emotion before. Now, when Luna needed her little sister the most, Lynn was literally giving her a shoulder to cry on. Lori had been rather unsure as to what to do to help Luna, as she didn't know what was happening to her. But know, she knew that Lynn was the perfect person to help her, she, from what Lori had heard, had, had several panic attacks already.

Lori pulled away from the group hug and gave them a small smile as Lynn started to complain. "Come on guys, we can't breathe." One by one they backed away, out of the hug and went back to sitting around Lori's bed. Lynn looked down at Luna as she rubbed her back. "Are you feeling better?"

Luna nodded her head as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah, thanks dude, you're the best." Lynn looked down at her with a smirk. "I know." They all burst out laughing and Lori couldn't help but to be a little relieved at Lynn's small comment. That was the first spark of Lynn's cocky attitude that they had seen in days.

"Ha, but really thanks, I really appreciate it. I don't know what I would have done without you." Lynn's face got a little red as she scratched the back of her neck. "Don't worry about it. I'm glad it wasn't me this time, but really, I wish it wasn't you either. It's not fun. Why don't we finish our meeting and come up with ways to help Lincoln. After you can call Sam and see if she wants to come over and help."

Luna nodded. "Okay, I just hope she's not busy." They all turned their attention back to Lori as they got settled. "Okay guys, what I was trying to say before is that Jim told us that if we stay busy, we are more apt to feel better. It keeps us from focusing to the bad things and by helping others, we can see the good."

Leni Interrupted Lori, looking confused. "Wait, do you mean, that by making other people happy, we will be happy? By seeing their smiles?" Lori gave her smile as she nodded. Happy that Leni was understanding. She still wasn't sure how much she understood, but Lori knew that Leni was aware that Lincoln was hurt and she was sad about it. "Yes Leni, you are correct."

Leni smiled at getting something that was rather complicated right. She then let Lori continue.

"He told us about some kind of holiday festival at the middle school that he was hosting and he wanted to know if we would be interested in helping. I don't know what helping would entail, but I'm sure that it can't be that bad. Not to mention that we would be getting extra credit in our classes, which is good since tomorrow is literally the last day before winter break and I just realized that we missed the entire final week of school." Lori started to panic a little, but shrugged it off.

"You know what? We have far more important things to worry about than making up a few pointless tests. Let's just stay focused, who wants to help with the festival?" Lynn immediately raised her hand. "I'm in as long as Lincoln is in." Lori nodded. "Okay, then so am I, not to mention that I'll need the extra credit come next school year." Looking around the room she could see the others turning it over in their minds and slowly they started to raise their hands.

First was Leni. "Umm… Like, I don't know what I could do, but I want to make people happy, especially if it's Lincy." Lori felt a surge of pride for her sister. Leni always did what she could to make people feel better and that statement was truer whenever it was for a member of their family.

Next, the twins nodded at one another before raising their hands. "I just want to see Lincy, if that means I have to go and help out a weird old man, than I'm in." "I don't think he's weird, but I'm in too. Who knows, maybe he'll bring his fox." Lori couldn't help but to roll her eyes at the twins, but at least they weren't fighting, so there was that.

Luan was next. She looked rather nervous, but put on a smile as she raised her hand. "Err… I'm in, I just hope it's not boring, would hate to be put into a Holidayze. Ha ha… get it?" Everyone gave her a small chuckle. This was one of her worst jokes, but it was also the first joke that she had made since Lincoln had been in a coma. Lori knew that something was bothering her, but didn't want to call her out in front of everyone in case it was something private, making a note to ask her about it later.

Next Luna hesitantly raised her hand, obviously still unsure about the whole thing. "Okay, I will help. Maybe I can get Sam to come as well, she is always trying to get extra credit so her parents will let her go to concerts." Lynn placed a hand on Luna's back, giving her an encouraging smile.

Lastly was Lucy. Much to the confusion of everyone, she didn't raise her hand at all and Lori gave her a concerned look. "Uhh… Lucy, aren't you going to help?" Lucy nodded, but didn't say anything. Now they all knew that something was bothering her. Actually, now that they thought about it, Lucy had been way quieter lately. She had barely said anything at all for the last few days and now that Lori thought about it, she hadn't even gotten up when everyone had given Luna a hug.

"Lucy… What's wrong?" The more that everyone stared at her, the more uncomfortable Lucy became. She looked down at the floor, trying to hide behind her hair. To Lori, it seemed like she was trying to hide something, the way she was nervously fiddling with her hands, it seemed like she was feeling guilty about something. If Lucy was nervous enough about something that she was having trouble hiding it, then it must be something big.

Lynn gave her a concerned look, before she and Lori stood and walked to the raven haired girl. "Hey what's wrong Luce? You look like something's on your mind." Lori placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "Come on Lucy, you can tell us."

Lucy let out a very sad sigh. "Please don't be mad at me." They looked at her in confusion. "Lucy, why would we be mad at you?"

Lucy could feel tears well up in her eyes. "I did something a while ago and Lincoln took the blame for it and… and when we saw him the other day, I was happy, genuinely happy to see him. But as time went on, I began to feel guilty. The more I tried to not think about it, the worse I felt. Really it's not that big of a deal, it's just…"

Lucy was struggling to hold back her tears and Lynn took her hand. "Come on Luce, I promise none of us will get mad at you, just tell us what you want to say." After Lucy sat in silence for a few moments, she gave her a nod.

"It's just, when I saw Lincoln in so much pain, I was… I was really scared." Tears began to stream down her face. "I don't want to lose Lincoln. He has done so much for me and… and I thought that maybe if I tell you all the truth, than it would take a little stress off of him. I… I know that it's silly, but… "_Sniffle_" I… I love Lincoln and I just want you all to stop teasing him about it."

The more that Lucy told them the more that they got confused. Luna walked over to Lucy and knelt in front of her. "What did you do that we are still teasing Lincoln about?" Lucy flinched under Luna's questioning eyes. It wasn't that Lucy thought that she was mad, cause she wasn't. It was more so that Lucy was really nervous that they would start teasing her about it instead.

Lucy felt Lynn rub her hand and she turned to look at her. "Hey, it's okay Spooky, I promise that no one is going to tease you about it. I think that you are really brave for wanting to tell us the truth."

Lucy gave her a nod as she continued. "Please, wait to say anything until after I finish. Remember how a few months ago, the toilet got clogged and you guys found a Princess Pony book? You all thought that it belonged to Lincoln, err… but it wasn't his. It… it… was mine. I'm sorry, I know that you all hate Princess Pony and I was going to tell you that it was mine, but after you said that you were going to be teasing whoever it was that owned it for weeks, I got scared. I can't handle getting made fun of and after Lincoln found out it was mine, he told you all that it belonged to him. He said that you all already tease him about everything else so it wasn't a big deal."

Lucy couldn't handle it anymore, as everyone stood in shocked silence, Lucy began to sob. For months she had been trying to build up the courage to tell the truth, but every time she would get scared and back out. Now that she had told the truth, she felt like a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders. But she was still terrified of how her sisters would react and she pulled her arms and legs to herself as she buried her head and cried.

"Lucy, look at me." Lucy felt sick to her stomach as she slowly looked at Lynn. "Lucy… Listen Luce, there are a few things that I have to say to you, but the most important one for the moment is… I'm proud of you." Lucy's head shot up and she nearly fell of the bed. "What? But… Why?" Lynn gave her a smile. "I'm proud of you because you were brave enough to tell the truth."

Lucy was getting confused and she shook her head, trying to clear it. "I'm not brave… I have been terrified about what you guys were going to think, that's not brave." Lynn grabbed her and turned her to face her. "Lucy, that is why you are brave. Bravery isn't about not getting scared, it's being able to get from point A to point B despite your fears. You were afraid of how we would treat you if we found out and you still told us. Sure it took you a while, but you still told us. I am so sorry we made you feel this way, if you had told us from the beginning that the book was yours than I'm sorry to say we may have teased you for it."

"But this is now and I promise you that I will never tease you about it. I had no idea that you hated getting teased that much and if I had known that was how you felt I would never have said that we would tease you for weeks. I genuinely thought that the book was Lincoln's from the beginning… but, that is no excuse. This is me yet again, not thinking about how my actions will affect others and I need to work on that."

"Luce, if you like to read Princess Pony, than please do. If anyone wants to make fun of you because of it, they will have to answer to me. I do not want to ever make you or anyone else ever feel like this again. I am sorry that we made you feel like you couldn't be honest with us."

To say that Lucy was relieved, was a gross understatement and as her sisters embraced her and apologized for making her feel so upset, she cried. Lucy wasn't much for being overly emotional most of the time, but at that moment, she didn't really care. Lucy was just happy that her sisters were supporting her and they didn't separate until she spoke.

"Are you sure you don't care if I read Princess Pony?" Lynn patted her on her head. "I'm going to be honest with you Luce, I don't like it, it's, err… just not my thing. But I'm not going stop you from liking it. If you like it than that's good enough for me, after all you are eight. A lot of kids your age like it. I do have to say though, I am surprised that you like it. It just seems too, err… pink."

Lucy gave her a sigh. "Like I told Lincoln, even I need a break from the darkness every once in a while." Lynn gave her a smile and pat her back. "I guess the Duchess of Darkness needs to find light every once in a while, huh?"

For the second time that day, Lynn had done her best trying to help her sisters and to Lori, it seemed that Lynn was really trying to take what Jim had told her to heart and was doing her best at thinking before she acted and especially in these cases, before speaking.

"Okay guys, I know that this has been a really long and really emotional sister meeting, but we still have one more thing to discuss." Everyone had turned their attention back to Lori as she continued. "This is actually what this meeting was going to originally be about, but there were obviously a few equally important things that we had to discuss first. But now, we need talk about what we can do to help Lincoln."

The girls all started to nervously nod as Lori pulled out a note pad and a pen, handing it to Luan. "Here, can you write down notes for us while Lisa is busy?" Luan gave her a nod as she accepted the pad and pen. Lori turned back to face them and sighed.

"Okay, does anyone have any ideas as to what we should do to make life easier for Lincoln?" Everyone sat in silence, thinking. After a few moments of contemplation, Lana raised her hand. "Yes Lana?"

"What if we build a ramp? Didn't Luna say, that Lisa said that Lincoln would be in a wheel chair for a while? It would make it easier for him to get in and out of the house." Lori nodded and Luan wrote it down. "Great idea, at least he won't have to be stuck in the house all day and he will get to come and go as he pleases."

Lucy raised her hand. "Yes Lucy?"

"Umm… Where will Lincoln be sleeping, I don't think that he will be able to get up the stairs and even if he could, didn't Lisa also say that Lincoln would be four inches taller. I don't think that Lincoln will be able to even fit anymore, at least not laying straight across his bed. If need be I can switch rooms with him."

"hmm… That is a very good point, but I don't think that you will need to move out, thank you for offering though. I think for now it would be best if we moved the furniture around and make a few temporary walls in the living room for Lincoln. That way Lincoln can sleep on the couch and he can have privacy. We just need to figure out what we can use for walls, but we can get to that when the time comes."

Leni threw her hand up. "O M Gosh you guys, I just realized something, if Lincoln is going to like, have a growth sprout, than shouldn't we get him new clothes? I could like, totally make him some super cute pants."

Lori nodded, a little surprised. "Wow, err… Great idea Leni, that is literally a perfect idea." Leni smiled at Lori liking two of her ideas in one day.

Luan was the next to raise her hand. "Okay, so if Jim said that we should do stuff that makes people happy, then should we have a small party? Nothing too big, just us, Lincoln, mom, dad and a few friends. I mean if happy is what you want, then what better way to make Lincoln happy other than surrounding him with happy people."

Lori thought for a few moments before slowly nodding. "I think that would be a great idea, of course we will have to ask mom and dad, but I'm sure they will agree to it. Although we would have to pay with our own money, since mom and dad have to pay Lincoln's medical bills." Luan gave her a nod before writing it along with the other ideas.

Lola slowly lifted her hand, a slightly disgusted look on her face. "Okay, so where is Lincoln going to use the bathroom? If he can't get up stairs how will he go?" Lynn rose her hand. "If need be, I can carry him up the stairs. I know that he might not enjoy that idea, but it is at least an option."

Lori was unsure what to say about that. "Err… Umm… I… I think that maybe we should ask mom and dad about that when they get home, for now we should move on. Thank you Lola."

Luna raised her hand next."So, err… What if we make him cards or hang with him, I mean really hang out with him. You know, do a little of what we want, but do a lot of what he wants. Although, I'm sure he will want time to himself, I think it would be a good idea if we at least try to show him how much we appreciate and love him."

Lori gave her a thoughtful nod. "I agree, it would be a good idea if we spent time with Lincoln. Maybe we could take him somewhere fun."

Lori was about to bring the meeting to a close, when Lynn's hand suddenly shot up. "Yes Lynn." Lynn looked a bit nervous, but before Lori could ask, Lynn told them why. "Look guys, it's good and all that we're going to do all this stuff, but… What about helping Lincoln relearn how to walk? I mean, most of these problems are temporary. Sure Lincoln will need a new bed or whatever, but once Lincoln can walk again, he'll be able to go up stairs or walk into the house or play with me…"

It wasn't until after she felt a tear fall onto her arm, that Lynn realized that she was crying. She felt her face grow hot and she quickly wiped her eyes. "Sorry, it kinda just hit me that nothing is going to be the same for a while and I just realized that I've taken my time with Lincoln for granted. I just want to show him how much the time we spend together means to me."

Lynn stood up and walked to the door. "I'm sorry, I have to go think some things over." With that she walked out the door. The rest of the girls gave Lori worried looks.

"Don't worry, she's just had a very long day. Why don't we all stop our meeting for now. Tonight we can think about what we are going to do and tomorrow we can start preparing for Lincoln's return. Luna. Luan. I need to speak to you two, the rest of you can go."

Luna and Luan gave each other confused looks as their other sisters left Lori and Leni's room. After they were alone Lori waved them over. "Luna, if you still want to call Sam and see if she wants to come over, you should call mom and dad first to see if she can stay the night. That way you guys can have a private conversation tonight about why you haven't seen her and tomorrow, if she wants, you two can hang out while we start setting up things for Lincoln."

Luna gave her a nod. "Okay, maybe we can jam a little too." Luan gave her a thumbs up as Lori sent her off. After Luna walked out the door, Lori turned her attention to Luan. "Alright Luan, what is going on with you?"

Luan shifted uncomfortably under Lori's gaze. "I don't want to talk about it." Lori's eye brows scrunched up in confusion. "Why not? Is it about Lincoln?" Luan looked down at the floor. "Please stop. I just don't want to talk about it." Lori took a step towards her and Luan took a step back. "Luan please, I just want to help you."

Lori took another couple of steps and Luan stepped back against the wall, her eyes started to water and she nervously turned to look at the door. "Please Lori, you wouldn't understand." Luan started to inch for the door and Lori grabbed her arm, turning her to face her. "Come on, if you would just tell…"

Luan spun around and shoved Lori. She took a step back, her foot landing on a shoe. She slipped and fell backwards, hitting her head on Leni's bed. "DAMN IT LORI, I SAID STOP."

Lori sat up and brought her hand to the back of her head and as she brought it forward, Luan's eyes widened in horror. Lori's hand was covered in blood. "L…L..Lori I'm sorry." Luan turned and ran for the door, crying. Lori pressed her hand to the back of her head an winced as she tried to stop the bleeding. A few seconds later, Leni and Luna came running in.

Luna's eyes widened and Leni ran to the bathroom, grabbing the First Aid kit. "Oh my god, Lori what happened?" Luna ran to her side and crouched next to her. Lori looked up at her. "I'm fine, I just hit my head. I'm far more worried about Luan. I asked her what was bothering her and she got defensive. I just pushed her too hard and she literally pushed back in response. It was my fault, I shouldn't have trapped her."

Luna gave her a worried look. "What is she trying to hide?" Lori shook her head. "I don't know, but I intend to find out…"

* * *

**A/N**

**Thank you for reading. I would have had this chapter out earlier, but half way through I got some writers block. Anyway, I know that it may seem like this was an overly emotional and dramatic chapter, but it is important for developing the story. I would like to know what you think about Lynn's change in personality.**

**I would like to thank all of you who have wished me a happy birthday, so, Thank You. Do tell me what you think of this story, I may not respond to all of your reviews, but I do read them. As always, have a good one. ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

Luna had just gotten off the phone with her mother. She had been nervous when she had asked her if she could invite Sam over to sleep over, but after she had explained what was going on and why she wanted to, her mother had hesitantly agreed. Luna was more than relieved. It wasn't often that any of them got to have friends come to sleep over, especially after the incident with the police coming over, but there was no way that she would complain.

As she started to dial Sam's number, she couldn't help but to be nervous. Sam had been over loads of times and everyone knew that they were dating; it was just that not everyone could handle the entire Loud family at once and Sam had never stayed the night before. She could remember a time when Lincoln had some friends over and by the end of the night, the only one who could handle them was Clyde.

Luna couldn't help the smile that came to her face. Clyde may be a really weird kid and had a really unhealthy obsession with Lori, but she had to give the kid credit. He had been Lincoln's first and only friend for years and he had never judged him for his white hair. Most importantly, he wasn't afraid of Luna and the rest of her sisters. Unlike Lincoln's other friends, Clyde actually took the time to get to know them and learned to look past their craziness and quirks.

Luna shook her head, trying to clear it. She was getting distracted from her current objective. She took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she finished typing in Sam's numbed and hit the call button. She continued to feel nervous as she waited for Sam to pick up her phone and she felt her heart jump into her throat as she heard a familiar "Hello?"

Luna readjusted the phone in her hand before answering. "H…Hello Sam." The phone on the other side was silent for a few seconds before Luna got a response. "Oh my gosh Luna, I haven't heard from you for days. I was starting to get worried, I heard about Lincoln on the News and I've been trying to get a hold of you. How are you doing?"

Luna shifted uneasily on Luan's bunk. "Err… I'm doing fine… Actually no, that was a lie. I'm doing terrible." Luna felt tears well up in her eyes. "Do you want to talk about it? I could come over or I could pick you up and you could come here?"

Luna let out a small sigh of relief. "Actually Sam, I was wondering if you wanted to spend the night? Tomorrow we are going to be moving some things around to make it easier on Lincoln when he gets home. I was wondering if you could maybe help, we could talk and maybe jam a little if you want. Of course if you don't want to or if you have something more important to do, then I understand. Just thought that I would ask..."

Luna's heart was pounding in her chest. A small part of her hoped that Sam would refuse to come; it would be so much easier to just lock herself in her room and cry. But, a larger part of her wanted Sam to come over. Luna knew that she could just talk to her sisters, but Sam was different. She always knew what to say and how to make her feel better.

There was silence on the other line and Luna started to panic a little, thinking that Sam really wouldn't want to come, but her worries died down as Sam answered her. "Of course, I'd love to come. I'll be over in half an hour, I just got to take care of a few things and let my parents know first. See you then and remember… I love you." The phone clicked as Sam hung up and Luna felt her heart flutter in her chest. No matter how many times she heard Sam tell her those words, she could never, nor would want to get used to them.

Luna stood and headed for the door, she wanted to tell Lori what was going on. Just as she walked through the door she could her arguing in Lori's room. "Huh? Guess Lori is still talking with Luan." At that moment Luna heard Luan scream out.

"DAMN IT LORI, I SAID STOP." Confused, Luna walked to the door, bumping into an equally confused Leni. "Like, Luna, what is going on?" Luna shrugged, but before she could answer she heard Luan talking. "L…L..Lori I'm sorry." The next second Luan burst out of Lori and Leni's room, sobbing.

Luna walked into the room was shocked to see a dazed Lori leaning against Leni's bed, holding out a blood covered hand. Leni rushed by her and headed for the bathroom and the wide eyed Luna, ran to Lori. "Oh my god Lori, what happened?"

Lori looked up at her. "I'm fine, I just hit my head. I'm far more worried about Luan. I asked her what was bothering her and she got defensive. I just pushed her too hard and she literally pushed back in response. It was my fault, I shouldn't have trapped her."

Worry gripped Luna's heart as Leni ran into the room. "What is she trying to hide?" Lori shook her head. "I don't know, but I intend to find out."

Luna took the First Aid kit from Leni and told her to hold Lori still. "I'm going to check and make sure you don't need stitches and then I'll go talk to her." Lori tried to shake her head, but Leni held her still. "No. Let her calm down. Later I will try to talk to her, but I won't force her. There is no need to get into more fighting. The last thing we need right now is for someone else to end up hurt. If I can't get anything out of her than I'll just tell mom and dad that she should talk to Jim, we'll figure out something. I promise."

Luna was freaked out when she saw how much blood there was coming out of Lori, but after getting a good look at the cut, she knew that at least they didn't have to bring her to the hospital. Injuries weren't a new thing to them and as often as Lynn got hurt, they all knew a serious injury when they saw one. Luna pulled out the First Aid supplies and started to clean the wound. Lori cringed and let out a squeak as Luna poured Hydrogen Peroxide onto the cut and Luna couldn't help but to feel sorry.

She noticed that Leni had her eyes closed and was breathing out of her mouth. She couldn't help but to be amused and yet a bit impressed as well. Leni wasn't exactly the best when it came to blood , but she would still try to help others when they needed her. Luna tried to clean up as much blood as she could, but even after she finished wrapping the wound, Lori's hair was still dyed with it. All well, at least it wasn't bleeding any more.

"All done, your hair is ruined, but it should come out after you wash it a few times. Although, you might want to wait a few days or you risk opening the cut before it is healed." Luna and Leni helped Lori off of the floor and headed for Lori's bed. Lori was a little light headed and let out a sigh of relief as she laid down. "Thanks guys, I literally appreciate it. I just hope that I didn't ruin the floor or Leni's bed." Leni smiled down at her older sister. "Don't worry, I know a really good way of getting blood out of things. It's just a good thing that I don't have to use it very often, blood is really gross."

As if to emphasize her words, she shivered and retched a little at the blood on her hands. "Like, I'm going to take a shower, if you need me, just yell." Luna and Lori watched in amusement as Leni held her hands as far away from her as she could and walked for the door. Luna felt a hand grab her's and she turned back to Lori, giving her a questioning look.

"Really though, thank you. I'll take care of Luan later, right now I think she just needs to be alone… Umm… have you noticed anything wrong with Luan? She seems to be taking this whole thing really hard." Luna thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yeah, actually I have. After we go to bed at night, Luan starts to cry. She only starts a few hours after we turn the lights off. At first I didn't notice because I was listening to music, but I thought that I heard something, so I turned it off. Than last night I didn't feel like listening to music, so I lay there trying to sleep. After a few hours, she started to cry again. I'm starting to think that Luan doesn't want anyone to know that she is crying. At first I thought that she was just sad about Lincoln, but… Now I think that there may be more to it. I wanted to ask her about it later today, but if she won't talk about it, I can't make her."

Lori thought over what Luna had just told her. "Hmm… I'm going to have mom set her up an appointment with Jim tomorrow. He said that he would be there all day and I think it would do her some good. I don't know how he does it, but Jim is really good at getting people to open up. When I brought Lynn over, he just talked with her until she opened up. He didn't even ask her anything specific until Lynn brought up Lincoln. He even knew that I have been having nightmares as well."

Luna slowly nodded. "I guess it couldn't hurt, I just want my happy go lucky sister back. It's not fair… everything is changing and I don't like it. I wish everything would go back to normal." Luna let out a sad sigh. "But there is no point in wishing for what can't be… We just need to make the best of what we have." Lori pulled her down, into a hug and started rubbing her back.

"Don't worry Luna, once Lincoln is back, we can start putting the pieces back together. For now, we just need to keep an eye on each other and our younger sisters." Lori paused for a moment. "Did you ask mom and dad if Sam can come over?" Luna pulled away and sat next to Lori, nodding. "Yeah, I did, they said yes. I also called Sam and she is on her way now."

Lori gave her a confused look. "You don't sound very happy about it. Is everything good between you two?" Luna's eyes widened. "No, no, everything is fine and I'm super excited about having her over to sleep. It's just… I would usually have to worry about our sisters fighting and arguing, but… but now I would give anything for something to happen. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really miss it. The twins don't argue, there are no explosions, Lincoln isn't scheming or coming up with cleverly over complicated plans. Heck, not even Lily is running around naked and even the animals are well behaved. I'm just not used to our family being so… quiet."

Lori was shocked. She had been so worried about everything that she hadn't even noticed. "Oh my gosh, you're right. How could I have not noticed?" She placed a hand over her face and they both let out sighs. They just sat there in silence for a few minutes as they thought. Lori was so deep in thought that when Luna spoke, she jumped, forgetting she was there. Luna let out a small giggle and Lori blushed. "Sorry, what was that?"

Luna took a couple of seconds to breathe before repeating herself. "I said, when Sam gets here I'll have to see if she wants to jam with me. I'm supposed to be the loudest Loud and I've been just as quiet as the rest of our sisters. I might not be able to make everyone forget about what has happened or make Lincoln better faster, but at least I can try to lighten the mood a little by bringing back something familiar."

Lori slowly started to smile as she thought over what her younger sister had said. "That is a perfect idea. When Sam gets here you two can talk for a while and I think I have a little extra money, so I could buy a couple of pizzas. That way dad doesn't have to cook and he and mom and just try to relax. They work way too much and I think that they need a break…" Lori let out a sigh, but shook it off. "Any way… where are you two going to sleep?"

Luna shrugged, giving Lori a small grin. "If she was any other girl, she could sleep in my room, but you know dad. Hmm… I guess we could sleep in the living room. She could take the couch and I could take the floor or the chair… or maybe I could just watch her sleep and listen to her adorable little snores…" Luna turned red as Lori started to laugh. "Sorry, it's just that you two are so cute. I am so glad you two got together."

Luna gave her a slightly surprised look. "Really?" Lori nodded, giving her a very serious look. "Yes really. Ever since you two got together, you have been happier and whenever you talk about her I swear you get hearts in your eyes. You found happiness and I wish you two only the best." Luna wrapped her arms around Lori, giving her a tight hug. "You are a great sister Lori."

Lori gave her a grin. "I know, now why don't you go and get rea…"

"LUNA, YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS HERE!"

Lori burst out laughing and pulled Luna off of her. "Never mind, you should go and see to her. Wouldn't want to keep a girl waiting, now would you?" Luna blushed and turned away, waving over her shoulder. "Whatever… But really Lori, you are a great sister. I can definitely see why Lincoln looks up to you." With that, Luna left, leaving a baffled Lori. "He looks up to me?"

Luna made her way down the stairs and her heart soared when she saw Sam talking to Lynn. As Luna reached the bottom step, she could hear what Sam was saying to Lynn. "I really like what you did with your hair, it makes your eyes stand out." Lynn's cheeks turned a bit pink and she shifted uncomfortably in place. "Thanks…"

As Luna stepped off the last step, it creaked, making Lynn turn to her. Lynn instantly straightened and walked to her. "It's about time. What kind of girl leaves her girlfriend waiting?" Lynn grabbed her arm and pulled her up to Sam. "You two have fun"

Lynn walked past them and headed for the stairs, but at the last second she turned and gave Luna a grin. "Just don't have too much fun… You know how dad gets." Luna turned a deep shade of red and Sam giggled as Lynn ran up the stairs.

Sam stepped towards Luna, placing her hands on the back of her neck, her hips swaying lightly. "So… What do you want to talk about? You sounded very upset on the phone… Not that you don't have the right to be. You definitely do, I'm just worried about you. We haven't talked in days…" Luna took Sam by surprise as she wrapped her arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug. Sam didn't say anything and just held her as she softly started to cry.

"I'm so sorry… I wanted to talk to you… It's just, I didn't want to bother you with my issues. I now know that was stupid of me, but I just didn't know what to do or say…" Sam began to gently rub Luna's back, trying to sooth her. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here now, so just start at the beginning and tell me what is going on. I promise I will be here for you."

Luna nodded and pulled out of their hug, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the couch. Once they were seated, Luna wiped her eyes and locked eyes with Sam. "Well, you see, it all started on Monday, when Vanzilla broke down. We all got out and we…"

* * *

By the time Luna was done telling Sam what had happened, they were both crying. "Oh god… Lincoln… Poor little dude…." Sam brought her hand up to wipe her eyes before turning back to Luna. "Wow… Okay, I will definitely help you guys in any way I can. If you need me to help move furniture, then count me in." Sam placed her hands on Luna's shoulders and leaned in close. "Luna, I'm serious when I say, if you ever need to talk things over ever, I will always listen. You are my girlfriend and I Love you. Please, just remember that and that you are never a bother to me. I really like your family and Lincoln has always seemed like a cool little dude. Man, I wish I knew him better… That is one tough guy."

Sam took one of her hands off of Luna's shoulder and placed it on her chin, lifting her head and leaning in, kissing her. "Luna, I promise I will help you, but you need to promise me two things." Luna nodded, blushing lightly from the kiss. "First, always come to me if you need or even just want to talk. I will always listen and I will always try my best to help in any way I can." Again Luna nodded. "Secondly, I want to get to know your brother better. He sounds like a real stand up guy and I don't know how we didn't talk more. I have always liked him and I think he's a great brother, but I have just never really gotten the chance to really talk with him, to get to know him, you know? The way you always talk about him, he sounds like a real sweat heart and every time I have ever spoken with him, he has always been polite and said the nicest things about you and your other sisters."

Luna nodded. "Of course, I guaranty that he would like to get to know you better too. Hey, maybe you can come over and we can jam for him. He loves the band Smooch and I think he would be thrilled if we played him a few of their songs, what do you say?" Sam gave her a huge grin. "That sounds amazing, I would absolutely love that. Hey, you know what? Why don't you think of some songs he likes and while he's still in the hospital, I can come over or you can come to my house and we can learn them for him."

Luna nodded, feeling excited and genuinely happy for the first time since Lincoln's accident. "That's a great idea… Did you bring your guitar?" Sam continued to grin. "You bet your cute butt I did, I'll get her now." Sam jumped from the couch and rushed out the door, nearly slipping on the ice as she closed it behind her. Luna turned deep red when Lori leaned over the couch and whispered in her ear. "Cute butt huh? Hmm… I think she's a real keeper."

Luna turned to her and hit her in the face with one of the couch pillows. Lori burst out laughing, but held her head, wincing a little. Luna frowned and apologized. "Sorry… Your head still hurt?" Lori nodded, still chuckling. "Yeah, but it's not as bad. Mostly just hurts if I laugh or cough or blink or think or… you get the point. Anyway, I'll be fine. Just got a bit of a bump on my head, but other than that, I'll live. So… how's your talk going?"

Luna rubbed her arm, giving Lori a sheepish grin. "Actually, a lot better than I thought. I feel really dumb for thinking that I would be asking too much from her… She's really cool about everything and she really wants to get to know you guys and especially Lincoln, better. I can't believe how lucky am to have her as a girlfriend. She is so beautiful and I don't just mean physically, we can all see how gorgeous she is, but she is also really thoughtful and caring. I don't want to imagine going through all of this without her… I just wish I had realized all of this sooner… All well, I guess better late than never… Wait, why are you down here and not in bed, you should be laying down, resting."

Lori just shrugged. "And miss the cute show going on down here? Not on your life…" Lori let out an amused snort as Luna gave her a blank stare. "I'm messing with you, I'm waiting for the pizza guy to come…" She was interrupted as Sam walked back in, holding her guitar. "Sorry it took so long, I was being a moron and stuck a bunch of junk on her… Oh, hello!" Lori waved to Sam. "Hello Sam, how are you?"

Sam grinned, headed back to sit with Luna. "I'm a lot better now that I'm here with my Luna. For a while there, I thought that maybe she found a guy… HA ha." Luna's face grew hot as Sam kissed her. "I don't think you need to worry about that… Not as long as you are here that is…" Lori wrapped her arms around both of the girls, pulling them into a tight hug. "Awe, you two have to be the cutest couple… well other than me and Bobby that is." Luna fought to breathe, eventually just giving up. "Yeah… your relationship… cute… definitely what I would call it…"

Lori frowned and let go of Sam, pulling Luna into a headlock and attempting to give her a noogie. "Why you little…." Sam giggled as Luna held out her hand to her. "HELP ME…" Sam took her hand and pulled on her. Lori let go and Sam fell onto the floor, Luna landed on her, her legs straddling her waist and her face pressed to the floor. Lori burst out laughing and headed for the door as she heard a loud knock. "You two having fun down there?"

Luna shot Lori a playfully angry look and Sam just giggled. Lori opened the door, pulling out her money. The Pizza delivery boy was staring at the doorbell as if it was the most evil thing on earth. "When are you guys going to get that fixed?" Lori paid the guy and took the pizzas. "Never. It's a great shield against solicitors." The pizza boy shook his head, mumbling as he turned around and headed for his car, almost slipping on the ice. "Crazy people, all you girls are crazy."

Lori rolled her eyes, but grinned as she turned back around, seeing Luna about to kiss Sam. "Well, don't let me interrupt you or anything, but there's pizza. You know… For when you are both finished." Lori laughed as Sam brought her head up to meet Luna's lips, making Luna giggle, blushing. They both stood and headed after Lori into the kitchen.

Lori placed the boxes on the table and then turned to Luna. "Could you go and call everyone to diner?" Luna nodded and walked back out of the Kitchen and headed up the stairs. She knocked on the first door she came to and heard a call. "Yes?" Luna opened the door and saw Lisa standing over an odd machine. "Dinner is here." Lisa turned to look at her for a second. "You say it is here, am I to suspect that someone got take out of some sort? More likely than not a Pizza or two?" Luna nodded and Lisa turned back to her work. "Yeah, Pizza. You going to come down?"

Lisa shook her head. "No, if you don't mind I would appreciate it if a slice or two was left for me." Luna nodded and shut the door. "Okay Lisa…" As Luna headed for the next room, she could only think one thing. "Odd, Lisa didn't even try to make that all technical… she must be really deep in thought..."

Luna shook her head, clearing it before she knocked on the next. No answer… Luna slowly opened Lincoln's door and was surprised to see Luan lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Luan… the pizza is here. Are you coming?" Luan only shook her head, making Luna rather sad. "Okay… I'll save you a couple of slices… Umm… I guess I'll see you later dude…" Luan just gave her a wave as Luna exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Luna sighed as she headed for the next room. She heard voices and when she knocked on the door, they grew silent. The door slowly swung open and Lynn popped out with a friendly smile. "Hey Luna, you need something?" Luna nodded, pointing to the stairs over her shoulder. "Yeah, there is Pizza and Lori wanted me to get everyone… Hey, why is Luan in Lincoln's room and not you and Lucy?" Lynn sifted a little uncomfortably. "She's not handling what happened with Lori that well. I tried to talk with her, but she won't say anything… I think she misses Lincoln a lot… But I also think that that is not all. I think she is hiding something, I just wish I knew what it is… Anyway, we will be down in a second."

Luna nodded and she headed for the next door. Lynn headed back into her room. Luna knocked on the door and it swung inwards a little. She opened it further and was surprised at what she saw. Lola and Lana were all sitting at Lola's table, surrounded by Lola's stuffed animals and Lana's pets. They were quietly talking to each other and when Luna called to them, they jumped, turning to look at her. "Sorry girls. I just came to say that there is Pizza down stairs."

The twins' faces instantly brightened and they jumped from their chairs, thanking Luna before rushing down the stairs. Luna just shook her head, giving them amused looks as they left. "At least someone seems excited for pizza."

Luna headed for the last room and fell back in surprise as Leni opened the door. "OMGosh. I am so sorry Luna." Leni grabbed Luna and helped balance her. Luna just laughed, standing up. "Thanks, and don't worry about it. I just came up to tell you that there is Pizza. Leni gave her a huge grin and hugged her. "Thanks for letting me know." Leni put her back on the floor and headed for the stairs. "Geez woman, I would love to know where you get that strength…"

After realigning her spine, Luna headed for the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she could hear talking and when she got to the kitchen, she could see her sisters all sitting around Sam and none of them noticed Luna. "So I opened my locker and the letter fell out. I read it and I felt I little excited that I had a secret admirer. I couldn't help but wonder who sent it and I kept watching all of the people around me. For days I tried to keep track of how they all reacted around me and I didn't have any idea if I knew them or if it was a stranger who had a crush on me. Well a week later, I found another letter in my locker and my heart started to beat a little faster. I really starting to wonder who it was. Who were they? Were they nice? A boy or a girl?"

Sam took a bite of her pizza before continuing. "After another couple of letters, I couldn't help but think I recognized the hand writing from somewhere. That made me think that I knew them, I just couldn't figure out who it was. The next letter came three days later, asking me to go to the band room. Well, I went and found another letter on my guitar case. I read it and it said to turn around..." Sam began to blush as she finished the story.

"I stood there for a few moments, by heart pounding in my chest. I was so excited and nervous, I thought I would throw up. I heard shuffling behind me and I slowly turned around. I was so shocked to see my best friend, that I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing correctly. Luna looked more nervous than I felt and she waved, saying…"Before Sam could finish, Luna walked up behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders, making her blush. "Hi Sam, I'm your secret admirer."

Sam grinned and kissed Luna, smearing pizza sauce across her cheek. "You startled me." Luna shrugged taking a seat next to her. "Sorry." Sam leaned her head on Luna's shoulder as she continued to eat. Luna opened the pizza box and took out a slice. "I know it was cheesy… pun not intended, But it was all I could think of. I had something planned to say, but when our eyes locked, I could barely breathe, much less, think."

The other girls all awed, making the two girls blush. Lori grinned at them, grabbing another slice. "So… did you ask her then to be your girlfriend?" Luna shook her head. "No, I was too nervous. I said hello, and I froze. She walked up to me and hugged me. I was so afraid that she would say no, that I barely heard her when she asked me. When I processed what she had asked, I felt my legs buck a little in relief. I almost fell, if not for Sam holding me up, I think I would have fainted."

Sam grinned at her. "You looked so cute, standing there. You looked like a frightened kitten and I couldn't help myself but to ask. Your reaction was adorable… truth be told I already liked you… I was just afraid that you didn't like girls that way. Boy am I glad you do." Luna gave her a surprised look. "Wait… You liked me before I sent you the letters? Why didn't you say something before now?"

Sam gave her a nervous look. "I wasn't sure you would like being with me at first and once I knew I was wrong, I just thought it might make things weird…" Luna pulled her into a hug, wiping Pizza sauce off her nose. "Of course it wouldn't make things weird. I love you, you love me… I feel a little silly now… we might have gotten together sooner if I had just asked like a normal person. All well, I'm just happy you are here now."

Lucy finished her pizza before turning to them. "Normally I would find such things to be too sickly sweet, but I'm glad you two are together. I hope one day, me and the rest of our siblings are in a relationship like yours." Lucy stood, leaving the table. "Especially Lincoln… He deserves to be happy." Lucy left the room, leaving the rest of the girls a little shocked. Sam turned to Luna, giving her a questioning look. "I thought Lincoln had a girlfriend?"

Luna shook her head, feeling a little sad. "Nah dude, he kind of sort of had a thing with Ronnie Anne, but I guess they decided to be friends… Other than her, Lincoln has not had the best of luck with girls." Sam just became even more confused. "Why? Lincoln seems like a nice kid and he's a looker too. I'd think the girls would be knocking down the door to get at him."

The girls all shifted uncomfortably. Lori set her empty plate in the sink before turning back to Sam. "We may be part of the reason for that… you are actually one of the few people who actually try to get to know us. We are pretty wild and Loud isn't just our name. Then there is the whole Cristina incident…"

Sam became completely lost. "You guys aren't that bad. I've been here many times before and I've never had a problem with any of you… then again I am just as loud, so I guess I'm just used to it. Also, who is Cristina?"

Luna made an odd face. "You remember that stupid video contest that was going on a while ago?" Sam nodded. "Well, Lincoln wanted to win because he doesn't have an trophies… well, unless you count the one we gave him… any way, Lincoln sent a video and it didn't do so well. He got discouraged, but talked to Luan. He got it in his mind to post a funny video… well that video was funny to everyone but us…"

Sam fought to not grin. "I remember that video… yeah, it was taken down… Wait does this have something to do with the one that was about Lincoln?" Luna nodded. "Yeah… We got upset at Lincoln and refused to talk to him… that was not the best thing to do, but we were all very embarrassed." Luna let out a long sigh before continuing.

"To try and make up, Lincoln posted that video of himself and took the focus off of us. If you saw it, then I'm sure you saw Lincoln's kissing practice… the picture was of Cristina. She was a girl in his class that Lincoln had a crush on and when she saw the video, she got embarrassed and transferred to another class to get away from him. If you ask me, Lincoln was Lucky, she doesn't deserve to be with Lincoln if she cares more about her own image."

Lori and the others nodded. "Yeah. Of course Lincoln didn't have much better luck after we stopped getting involved. There was Paige… not really sure what happened to her." Lynn thought for a moment before continuing their discussion. "Actually some of us still tried to help… and it went poorly as well. There was the Sadie Hawkins dance and Lincoln said that he didn't have a date… mostly he just didn't want to go, he should have told us all that before some of us got him dates…"

Sam interrupted her. "Wait, I remember Tabby talking about that. She said that she and three other girls went to that dance with one guy. She didn't say who it was, but Lincoln's the only white haired boy I know, so I just figured. Anyway, she told me she was actually having fun until Lincoln took off to dance with another girl. I was actually a little disappointed to hear about that… that is until she told me that Lincoln was only doing it because he didn't want to make all of the girls upset. She told me that she forgave him and that the other girls did as well. Lincoln even got them all dances before he left. Tabby said she had fun anyway."

Lynn nodded. "Yeah, but that means that Lincoln has tried… let's see, Ronnie Anne, Cristina, Paige, Tabby, Haiku, Giggles, Polly… anyone else? Oh yeah… Stella. Actually, that one is still up in the air. She told Lincoln and his friends that she wasn't interested at the moment, so I guess there is a possibility. Regardless, that is eight different times that he has tried and failed… can we stop talking about this... please? I would rather think about all of the great things he has done, not the things he has failed at."

Lori nodded. "She's right and I agree. Lincoln isn't perfect but I don't care. He is a wonder friend and a greater brother… I know I don't tell him enough, but I love him and he loves all of us. I know that one day, someone will find out how great and lovable Lincoln really is… You know, Lincoln once told me he wants to be a dad?"

The remaining girls were shocked, but Leni smiled. "I know he would be a great father. He loves all of us, he hates it when we are sad, he takes care of all of his sisters, even his older ones. I know I'm not very smart, but I know Lincoln…" Leni suddenly stood. "I think I'm going to go to bed. I know it's really early, but I'm tired and I think we have to do something tomorrow. Goodnight everyone."

The others just watched in slight confusion as Leni walked out of the kitchen, humming randomly to herself as she went off to bed. Luna, Sam and Lynn all exchanged a confused look. "Dudes… It's only seven… I wonder if she's getting sick."

Lori shook her head. "No… She is just tired… and she misses Lincoln. She hasn't slept very well since he got hurt, but she still seems very happy all of the time. I honestly don't know how well she understands what is going on, but I know she is sad… anyway, I'm going to try to talk to Luan and see if I can get her to eat. If you need me, I will be upstairs."

Lori stood, taking a couple of slices of pizza with her, waving over her shoulder as she left. Lynn looked at the two remaining girls, unsure of what to do. "Err… This is awkward… I think I'm going to go check on Lucy… I know she misses Lincoln, she hasn't even written a single poem since Lincoln has been in a coma… I'm going to go see if she wants to come up with some rhymes or something… I don't like seeing her this sad… I miss Lucy sad, not sad, sad."

Luna and Sam said good bye as Lynn put her plate into the sink. Luna looked at Sam and she shrugged. Then a sudden thought hit Luna. "Wait a second… where are the twins?" Luna heard a noise and turned to look in the kitchen. "Sorry… we are in here." Luna gave them a confused look. What are you two doing in there? Why didn't you join us?"

Lola and Lana slowly made their way into the dining area. "We.. we didn't want to get in the way. We are trying to keep out of trouble…" Luna frowned. "You two aren't in the way, why would you think that?" Lana sifted a little closer to Lola. "we… we always fight… we just want to make everything easier until Lincoln is back and better…" Lola nodded. "Yeah… I can't wait until he's back… we miss Lincy… I just want everything to go back to normal…"

Luna's heart ached as the twins both started to quietly cry. Luna jumped from her chair, rushing to the twins. "Hey now, it's going to be alright. I'm not going to try to lie to you, you are both too smart for that. It sucks that Lincoln is in the hospital, but he won't be there for too much longer. Lisa is going to finish her work, and Lincoln will be home, not everything will go back to normal, but some things will. Lincoln will still be Lincoln and he will always love you…. Hey! I have an idea. Why don't you both draw Lincoln a picture or two and while you do… I can make you guys hot cocoa and… Me and Sam could play some music. It will at the very least make this house a little louder and what would Lincoln think if we weren't living up to our name?"

The twins both brightened up a little. Lola pulled Lana a little closer and gave Luna a small smile. "Cou… Could you put those little marshmallows in it like Lincoln?" Luna grinned. "You bet little dudes. You two go and get your drawing things and set up in the living room. Sam and I can make the cocoas and them we'll be right in, okay?"

The twins both nodded, making Luna smile and she hugged them and gave them a kiss on the foreheads. The twins took off as Luna turned back to Sam, giving her a nervous look. "You don't mind do you? I would have asked first but…" Luna was cut off as Sam pulled her into a kiss. "Luna, I definitely don't mind. I love you and your family is starting to feel like a second family to me. I would love to play music for them with you. I brought my axe after all, it would have been a shame if I came all this way and I didn't get to play with my favorite person. Just point me in the right direction and we can get this show on the road." Luna's heart melted and she returned her kiss. "Okay… You know, you are the best." Sam grinned, booping her nose. "I know."

* * *

For the next few hours, the Loud house became a little more lively. Luna and Sam made hot cocoa and started to play music, not loud, but it was enough to get everyone's attention. By the time Luna and Sam were settled down and began to play, the twins were drawing, small smiles adorned their faces.

Soon, a quiet pair of feet were heard coming down the stairs. Luna stopped playing as Leni settled on the floor next to the twins. "Hey Leni… I thought you went to bed?" Leni smiled up at her. "I changed my mind. I suddenly feel a lot less tired… Oh! Is that cocoa? Like, I'm tots going to make some." Luna started playing again, slowly shaking her head. Leni was… Leni and Luna wouldn't change anything about her."

As Leni settled back down where she was, two more pairs of feet could be heard coming down the stairs. Luna looked over and smiled when she saw Lynn and Lucy watching from the stairs. Again she stopped playing. "Hey you two, why don't you make yourselves some cocoa and join us?" Luna started to play again as the nodded and headed for the kitchen, coming to the living room only a few moments later.

Lynn sat next to Leni and Lucy sat next to her, Lynn pulled her close and casually sipped her drink. They all listened as the two rockers continued to play and a few more moments passed and Lori came down. she grinned and after a brief discussion, she made herself some cocoa as well, sitting between Lucy and the twins.

Sadly no one else came down, but if someone were to go upstairs and look in Lisa's or Lincoln's rooms, you would find Lisa relaxing a little for the first time in almost a week. She sat down in her chair and listened for a few moments before going back to work, her foot subconsciously tapping in time with the music. In Lincoln's room they would find a slightly less sad Luan sitting up in bed, hugging Lincoln's pillow, listening to the music and pretending that everything was back to normal.

Back down stairs, the girls all watched as Lola and Lana drew a picture of their family. Luna and Sam leaned against each other as the continued to play and after a couple of hours of playing the girls would, one by one, bring their blanket and pillows down, listening until they all fell asleep.

Not even fifteen minutes after Luna and Sam fell asleep, Mr. and Mrs. Loud came home, exhausted after working overtime to meet ends meet. They walked up to the door of their house feeling like all of their energy had been stripped, but when they walked through the front door, a small sliver of it was restored. Before them was a sight that would forever be burned into their minds. Most of the loud sisters were snuggled up on the floor, sleeping, slight smiles on their faces. In the middle of them all was Luna and Sam, wrapped in a blanket, their heads leaning against the other's and their guitars leaning against the coffee table.

As Mr. Loud walked over to turn off the lights, he saw the twins' pictures on the table. He grabbed them, looking at them, a smile slowly crawled up his worn out face. Both pictures were part of the same image. It was of their family, from the right there was him, his wife, Lori, Leni, Luna and Sam. From the left there was Luan, Lynn, Lucy, the twins, Lisa and Lily. In the foreground, there were all of their animals. But the thing that caught his and his wife's eyes as she stepped to join him, was who was in the middle… Lincoln. Lincoln was in the middle of the family… but that wasn't the part that brought tears to their eyes… No, what made their eyes water was the image of Lincoln standing, a wheel chair behind him, broken on the ground. Lincoln, was standing…

* * *

**A/N**

**Okay, so I need to apologize. This chapter took way longer to write, but I'm satisfied with it. After having my birthday, Christmas and New Years, I finally got this out and I would like to thank you for your patience. I have been very busy and have had horrible writers block, but thankfully, the next chapter should be out way faster. I didn't realize it until right this second, but a lot of what I wrote is because my friend, RawToonage, kept me motivated. I have been helping him with his story a little bit lately and his drive to write his story has kept me just as driven. Thank you RawToonage. I would consider it a personal favor if you would check out his story, Lincoln and Kat: A Year in the Life. I truly think… No, I know, it has great promise of becoming a fantastic series. If you enjoy it, make sure to follow it so you can continue to read it. Again, thank you for your patience and I hope you like the longer chapter. Please let me know what you think in the form of a review, I may not respond to all of them, but I do read them all. And as always, have a good one. ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11

Luan hadn't slept at all last night. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't cry anymore and her eyes felt like they were full of sand. Lincoln's usually soft bed felt like a pile of bricks and the room felt suffocating.

It was perfect.

She watched as the moon light against the room grew and fell. She watched as the sun slowly rose. Her mind was racing, it was loud. The silence was deafening.

"Oh good… You're safe…"

"Oh good… You're safe…"

"Oh good… You're safe…"

It was all she could hear, the last words the real Lincoln said after the accident. It wasn't fair… Lincoln shouldn't have been the one to get hit…

It didn't matter how much she wished for Lincoln to walk into his room, looking at Luan questioningly. "Uhh… Luan, what are you doing in my bed? I've got to go to sleep, I have to train with Lynn tomorrow… That is, unless you would rather help her learn a new soccer kick…"

What a stupid thought… Lincoln wouldn't ever say that… No, he would come in, see her and sit down on the bed, not saying a word until he thought of something to say. "Hey Luan, is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?"

Luan would shake her head and Lincoln would nod, just sitting there until she was ready to talk. Even if it took all night. And when she would finally be ready to talk, he would sit there and listen, waiting until she was finished. "Linc… I screwed up… I need advice…"

Lincoln would nod and move to hug her. He would hug her for days if she asked, then he would ask what the advice was for. "Linc… someone important to me got hurt and I don't know what to do…" Lincoln would keep hugging her, even rubbing her back to help comfort her. "Luan, you need to be honest with…"

"Damn it…"

Luan shook her head, sitting up. Her neck was killing her from staying in the same position all night and her arms and legs were stiff. Her face was sticky from hours of crying and her mouth was dry and tasted foul.

She turned her body, stretching before she put her feet on the floor. She stood and headed for the door. Once she was in the hall, she headed for her room, grabbing what she needed to get ready for the day.

Once she got into the bathroom, she stripped her clothes and turned on the shower. While it was getting hot, she brushed her teeth, ridding her mouth of the horrid taste. After spitting and rinsing her mouth, she looked into the fogging mirror. Her eyes were red and had dark circles under them. Her hair was a mess and her skin seemed a bit paler than usual. "Well, hello there beautiful. I bet Benny would just love to kiss that mug… Oh… Benny…"

Luan placed her hands on her face letting out an exhausted sigh. She had forgotten about calling Benny over the last few days and he was probably getting worried. Sometimes she thought she didn't deserve him… and today was at the top of the list.

Luan shook her head, trying to clear it. She looked at herself once more, putting on her best smile… Atrocious… Perfect.

Luan turned, moving for the shower and getting in. She sighed as the hot water poured through her hair, cascading over her, down to her feet. She just stood there, trying to enjoy the hot water as it loosened her stiff muscles. It felt so good it felt bad…

Luan grabbed the shampoo, squeezing some out into her hand. She began to wash her hair, pulling it out of its knotted braid. "I should just cut this mop off…" Luan shook her head, closing her eyes so shampoo wouldn't drip into them as she massaged it into her scalp.

"Oh good… You're safe…"

Luan froze, her heart pounding. "Please… Go away…"

Luan backed under the shower head, letting the water rinse the shampoo from her head. She scrubbed it out, raking her fingers though her hair. She lifted her face, letting the water rinse it before opening her eyes.

She grabbed the soap, beginning to wash the rest of herself. She didn't know why she was bothering. She couldn't go anywhere; she couldn't see Benny or her friends… It was too hard…

Luan rinsed the soap from her body, wanting to leave the shower as quickly as possible, the heat no longer making her feel better. She turned off the water and got out, grabbing her towel and drying off. She got dressed and stepped to the sink, wiping the fog from the mirror.

She looked much more like herself. Her eyes were a bit less red, the bags under them were lighter, her hair was regaining its natural shine as it slowly dried… She looked great… It was awful…

"KNOCK KNOCK…"

Luan jumped, her heart skipping a beat as someone knocked on the bathroom door. "Give me a second and it's all yours." Luan turned from the mirror, heading for the door. She unlocked it and opened it, revealing Lori, making her heart drop.

"Oh… hey…"

Luan tried to walk by her, but Lori stopped her. Luan had tried so hard to avoid her since what happened yesterday afternoon and wouldn't even let Lori bring her pizza in, having had, had her set it outside the door to Lincoln's room.

"Luan wait… Can we talk? Please?"

Luan tried to pull away, but Lori held her in place. "Please Luan… If not for us and if not for you… The do it for Lincoln…" Luan froze, her legs shaking. "Don't… Don't say that… please… It's hard enough…" Lori sighed, letting go of Luan's arm.

"Just talk to me or at least talk with Jim. I can go with you, maybe Lynn would go with you or if you would rather, just go alone… But you need to talk about what is bothering you. If you don't… it will make you go crazy…"

Luan turned to Lori, her lip trembling. "Y..you wouldn't un..understand…" Lori sighed, rubbing her temples. "Of course I wouldn't. How am I supposed to understand if you don't tell me what is bothering you. We are a family, what wouldn't I understand?"

Luan grit her teeth, looking away. "Lori please. Just drop it."

Lori tightened her grip on Luan, turning her to look at her. "Luan, this is hard for all of us, but if you let us help you, we can start putting the pieces back together. We can get everything ready and once Lincoln gets here, things can start going back to normal."

Luan swung her hands out, grabbing Lori's shoulders at the base of her neck, startling her enough so she let go of Luan. Luan slammed Lori's back against the wall, her eyes ablaze with anger. "DAMN IT LORI, WHY CAN'T SEE THAT NOTHING IS EVER GOING TO GO BACK TO NORMAL?"

Lori flinched, trying pull out from under Luan's rapidly tightening grip. "Luan, what are you talking about? Please calm down, you're starting to hurt me…" Luan's grip tightened, her eyes narrowing to slits. "THIS… Everything… Nothing will ever be the same and none of you seem to get it. Lincoln is more than likely never going to walk again, that is if he even wakes up. Even if Lisa manages to finish those legs, they are just machines! They are not real… Lincoln will never be the same… This house will never be the same… AND IT IS ALL MY FALUT!"

Lori brought her hands to her neck, trying to keep Luan's hands form closing around her throat. "L…Luan… What are you talking about?" Luan's eyes filled with tears, her hands closing more as her eyes unfocused. Lori honestly didn't know if Luan knew that she was starting to choke her.

"Oh god… It's all my fault… You told me to stop… those damn jokes… if I had only kept my mouth shut… Lincoln would never have had gotten hurt… We would have heard the car… I should have been the one to get hurt not Lincoln… LINCOLN IS HURT BECAUSE OF ME!"

Lori grabbed at Luan's hands, trying to pull them from her neck, desperately trying to breath. "L..L..L.." Luan didn't notice Lori's nails digging at her hands. Not even after she started to bleed lightly.

"Lincoln… I can still hear him… it's all I hear… the last words he said… he looked right at me… Oh good… You're safe… Over and over…"

Lori's face started to turn dark red, trying to overpower her younger sister, but failing miserably. Luan was so out of it, she didn't even notice when she looked Lori dead in the eyes.

"Do you have any idea what it is like? I haven't slept in days… Every time I do… All I see is his face… So much blood… And his legs… Oh god, his legs…"

Lori's vision started to blur, darkening quickly as her lungs fought for air. Her blood soaked fingers growing weak and her hands dropped to her sides. Her legs gave out and Luan's hands held her in place, pulling painfully on her throat.

"…"

"…"

"Hey, what is going on up here? All the yelling is waking… Luan? … LUAN! LUAN LET HER GO!"

Luan didn't hear Luna as she and Sam ran to her, nor did she feel the arms pulling at her's. She couldn't even see Lori as her head dropped forward, drool streaming to down her chin, dripping to the floor.

"BAM"

Luan felt a sharp pain to the back of her head and she fell to her side, landing in a waiting pair of arms. She blinked a few times, her vision blurry. She could hear shouting and she looked up, rubbing her eyes. "What?"

"WHAT IS GOING ON?"

Luan looked up at Lynn in confusion, her mind cloudy. "Where am I…? Why are we in the hall?" Lynn looked at Luan in shock, shaking her head in confusion. "What? What do you mean what are we in the hall? Why were you choking Lori?"

Luan gave her a confused look before looking around. "What are you talking about? I was just lying on Lincoln's bed. I was just about to take a shower and…" Luan trailed off, spotting Lori lying on the floor. Her eyes were closed and her face was red. She had nasty red marks around her neck and her shirt was torn. Her breathing was very heavy and Luna and Sam were holding her, trying to wake her.

Luan looked back at the confused Lynn. "What happened to Lori? Is she going to be alright?"

Lynn's mouth dropped and she placed her hand on Luan's forehead. "Sweet Je… Guys, I think Luan is sick. She is burning up…" Luna and Sam turned to look at Luan. Her face was pale, she had dark bags under her eyes and her eyes were red.

"Hhhhh…"

Luan looked over at Lori as she took a huge breath, her eyes flying open. She tried to sit up, her arms flailing around. "gah… ugh…"

Lori looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. "St…op… Ca..n't… bre..athe…" Luna turned back to Lori, placing a hand on her chest, pushing her back down. "Wow now dude, just lie still and breathe. You are going to be okay. Everyone is going to be okay…"

Lori looked around, putting her hand just below her throat, still gasping for breath. "Lu…an… Whe..re?" Luan looked at Lori, her head swimming. "Hey Lori… What happened to you?"

Luna and Sam shared confused looks as Lori's mouth dropped. "Wh…at?"

Luan tried to sit up, but she fell back into Lynn's arms. "Wha…? Why am I so light headed? How did I get here? Can someone please tell me what is going on, I am seriously freaking…"

Luan trailed off as she brought a hand to her face, stopping when she saw blood trailing down her forearms. "What the hell is going on? Why am I bleeding?"

Lynn wrapped her arms around Luan as she tried to get up again. She looked at her confused sisters and Sam. "Guys, can someone please tell me what is going on? Why can't she remember choking out Lori?"

Luan tried to break out of Lynn's grip, her arms flailing as she attempted to sit up. "What are you talking about. I didn't choke Lori, I just opened my eyes and I was on the floor. Let me go…"

Lynn tightened her grip, holding Luan's arms down. "Hold still before I accidentally hurt you. We saw you holding Lori's throat and her hands are covered in your blood."

Luan froze, looking at the uneasy Lori. Her hands were drenched in blood and her neck was beginning to bruise. "What? No… I couldn't have… Right? Please tell me I didn't… Right?"

They looked at the disconcerted Luan, trying to process what was happening. Lori slowly sat up, pushing Luna's hand away. She turned, looking at Luan with nervousness. "Lu..an… Do you really not… remember?"

Luan looked at Lori, shaking her head. "No, please, what is happening to me? I'm so confused… I can't think… My heart is pounding… I feel like I'm going to be sick…" Lynn leaned Luan forward, placing a hand to her back, rubbing it.

"Luan… I think you are having a panic attack. Just breathe and try to relax." Luan nodded, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I couldn't have done it… I would remember it… I was just going to take a shower… No… my hair is wet…"

Luan's hands slowly grabbed her hair, looking at it in horror. She turned to look at Lori, her eyes widening. "I did it…? I really did choke you?" Luan placed her hands to her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"CREEK…"

Everyone's heads turned as they heard a floor board creak. Standing before them, was Lucy, her hair being held away from her face, revealing her frightened eyes. Standing behind her, peaking from her back, was Lola and Lana, looking just as unsettled.

Luan couldn't stand the looks they were giving her, adding to her confused break down. She leaned back, startling Lynn, making her let go. Luan leaned back forward, jumping to her feet. She heard her sister's shocked cries as she dashed toward Lucy and the twins. The terrified looks they gave her, broke her heart as she dashed past them, racing down the stairs.

She ignored her sisters as they cried for her to stop. She headed for the door, grabbing the knob and opening it, dashing outside. She nearly tripped as she headed for the street, dashing for the icy side walk. She couldn't feel the cold on her arms or feet as she blindly ran, leaving before her sisters could get to her…

Luna and Sam rushed out of the house, freaking out as they looked around for Luan. She was already out of sight and they had no clue as to where she was going.

"Hey kids… is something wrong?"

Luna looked up as she and Sam came to a stop at the edge of the drive way, both starting to shiver. Standing across the road was Jim, holding his door open as two young girls came out. Luna and Sam looked at the curious trio, stunned.

Jim frowned, looking over the coat less and barefoot teens. "What is going on? What are you doing out here in the cold? You will catch a cold dressed like that… Girls?"

Jim let go of the door, pulling out his cane and started for the girls. "You two stay here, I'm going to see what is wrong." The two girls nodded, looking at Luna and Sam in worry.

Luna shook her head, snapping out of her daze as Jim headed for them. Luna cleared her throat, gaining his attention. "Sorry Jim… My sister, Luan, just ran off and we don't know where… It's like she is shutting down… I don't know what to do…"

Luna sighed as Sam wrapped her arm around her, rubbing her bare arms. "Hey, we will find her. She couldn't have gone too far without a coat or shoes."

Jim came to a stop in front of them, looking them over. "Tell me what happened and I'll help look for her." Luna nodded, wiping her eyes. "Okay… Sam, Lynn and I woke this morning and we could hear shouting and arguing. We went upstairs to see what was going on and I saw Luan holding Lori by her throat. I yelled to her, but she didn't react… It was like she was in a trance… Sam and I ran to her, grabbing her by the arms to try to get her off of Lori… but she wouldn't let go and Lynn had to knock her over the head."

"Luan fell to the ground and Lynn caught her while Sam and I went to check on Lori. Lori was passed out and Luan just opened her eyes, supper confused. Lynn asked her what she why she was choking Lori and she had no idea what was going on. She didn't know she did it… Man… I'm freaking out… She couldn't remember doing it… she thought she had just woke up and was about to go to take a shower… she already took a shower… When she saw the blood on her wrists and Lori's hands and that her hair was wet from her shower… She is so confused and scared… she hurt Lori yesterday too, but it was an accident… Lucy and the twins came upstairs and when Luan saw how scared they were, she snapped. She pulled away from Lynn and dove out of the house. I have never seen her so scared or confused…"

Jim nodded, looking down at the girl's feet. "I see… Go inside and get dressed in warm cloths. Call your parents and tell them what is going on. I must speak with Lori and then we must find your sister and quickly. As cold as it is and with what little she is wearing and her current state of mind… I think I know what is happening, but I need to speak with Lori right now. Is she conscious?"

Luna nodded, suddenly remembering one other thing. "Yes she is… also… Lynn said that Luan was burning up. Like she was sick… What is going on?" Jim frowned, looking over his shoulder at the girls behind him. "I'm not certain and I do not want to give you false information… STELLA, MOLLIE, COME HERE PLEASE."

The two girls ran to him, taking care not to step on ice. "Yes Jim?" Jim gave them very serious looks. "You two have a choice. Either go home and work on your projects… or help these girls by watching the little ones. If they agree of course, but if you do, I promise you will be given extra credit."

They nodded, looking at one another before looking at Jim, Luna and Sam. "Yeah, we will stay here. We would even without Extra credit. Lincoln is our friend and Luan is his sister."

Jim nodded, looking at the two teens. "Well, is it okay if they watch your little sisters? We must decide now and make it quick. The longer Luan is out here, the higher the chance she gets really sick."

Luna nodded. "Of course. Follow us."

Jim nodded and he, along with Stella and Mollie followed them, heading for the open door. They stepped into the house, Luna and Sam looking around, seeing the living room empty. "Must be Leni went off to work, can't see how she does that with Lincoln in the hospital… Pretty impressive… must make her feel better…"

Luna turned to look at Jim and the two children. "Please, stay here for a moment. We are going to get dressed and find the others." They nodded and Jim turned to the door. "Sounds good. While you get things settled over here, I will go to my house and grab my car. I don't drive it much, but it will be useful for finding Luan faster. Especially with two other cars."

Luna nodded, watching Jim walk out the door, closing it behind him. she turned to Sam as she lifted her bag. "Go and change, I'll be up in a moment."

Sam nodded, heading for the stairs. "I'll start talking with the others." Luna turned to Stella and Mollie, sighing. "Thank you for helping with the kids. I'm sure Lincoln will be thrilled to know he has such great friends. You two can sit anywhere. I'll have Lucy and the twins clean up this mess when they get down here."

They nodded, pulling off their coats and boots. "How is he?" Luna looked at Stella, letting out a sigh. "I… I honestly have no idea… I'm sure you have heard by now, but he had to be put into a coma… They will wake him after Lisa is finished with the legs she is making for him… Ask Lucy about that. I really need to get upstairs."

Stella nodded, setting her coat against the wall. "Okay… Good Luck finding Luan…"

Luna nodded, thanking her before dashing up the stairs. She saw Sam talking to Lori and Lynn. The twins were still with Lucy, but they didn't look scared anymore, they mostly looked worried. They all turned to Luna as she got to the top of the stairs and the headed for each other.

Lori looked at Luna, frowning. "Sam told us what Jim has planed. Everyone get dressed. I'll go down stairs and get my coat and stuff and I'll talk to Jim." Luna nodded, stopping Lori before she could go off. "Lori… what happened?"

Lori sighed, looking at her now clean hands. "Luan is not handling what happened to Lincoln at all. She thinks it is her fault… and it was like she completely shut off after she said it out loud. She had no idea what she was doing…"

Luna nodded, biting her lip. "Okay… so Luan didn't hurt you on purpose… but she doesn't know that… We need to hurry."

They all nodded, going their separate ways. "Meet up in five minutes…"

Lori let out a sigh, rubbing her sore throat. She was standing outside of her house, waiting for Jim to pull his car next to the drive way. He stopped and rolled down his window, waving her over. Lori ran to him, stopping at his car. "You wanted to see me?"

Jim nodded, adjusting his eye patch. "Yes. I don't drive much, just give me a second… Technically not allowed to…"

"Okay, what happened to Luan. What set her off and how did she react?"

Lori took a break, the cold air burning her throat. "I stopped at the bathroom to brush my teeth but someone was inside. I knocked and heard Luan say she would be right out. She opened the door and saw me. She pushed me yesterday when I asked her what was going on and I hit my head. I think she was still freaked about that and tried to avoid me. Anyway, I stopped her and asked her to either talk to me or talk to you. She refused and told me I wouldn't understand. I told her that once we help her, we could start putting the pieces back together and things could start going back to normal when Lincoln go home."

"I told her if she just explained it all to me I would understand, but she got super defensive. She grabbed my shoulders and started to yell at me, saying that nothing will ever be the same and that it was all her fault that Lincoln got hurt. That if she wasn't telling her jokes, none of this would have happened. She kept going on and her hands started to squeeze around my throat. I tried to get her off, but she wasn't responding. Not even when her hands were tightly around my throat and I started to dig my nails into her arms, trying to snap her out of it. She went on to say that she kept hearing him say the last thing he said before he went to the hospital and that she hadn't slept in days. The last thing I heard her say was that she could still see his face and his legs and…"

Lori trailed off, bursting into a coughing fit. Jim waited until her breathing was under control before responding. "Alright. I think I understand what is happening. We need to find her right now. I'm going to go down the road, looking for her. Once we find her, we can talk about what is happening to her. Right now, making sure she doesn't get hurt is our top priority. I will drive down the road and keep my eye out for her. I can't do much since I don't know where to look, so you and whoever owns that car will need to look where ever you think she might go, understand?"

Lori nodded thanking him before stepping away, letting him pull forward. "Do not worry Lori, we will find her."

Lucy was confused, watching her sisters pull out of the drive way. She wasn't entirely sure as to what was going on, but she knew that something was wrong with Luan. She had never seen her older sister act like that in her entire life and honestly, it was terrifying.

"So… how are you three holding up?"

Lucy turned to look at Mollie, seeing a sleeping Lily cradled in her arms. Lucy sighed, turning to face her, the twins hugging right up to her. "Fine… _sigh… _No, I'm not… Don't tell anyone I said this… but I'm terrified…"

Mollie nodded, her eyes soft. "I understand. It is okay to be scared. So much is happening and it's hard to understand. Jim told me we fear things because we do not understand them. I didn't really get what he meant then, but now I do."

Lucy nodded, scratching her knee. "It's so confusing… I wish I wasn't scared… I'm not supposed to be…" Mollie raised a brow, giving Lucy a look over. "Why, because you are Goth? I know other Goths who get scared. I'm scared, so there is nothing to be afraid of."

Lucy gave her a confused look, making her chuckle. "I know, it doesn't make sense." Lucy nodded, looking at her striped socks. "Why are you afraid?" Mollie sighed, looking over as Stella walked from the kitchen, holding several juice boxes. "I suppose it is why a lot of us are scared… Our friend is in the hospital and we don't know how he is doing… I'm scared because I don't know why he is there. I know that he got hit by a car, I know he lost his legs… I also know that one of your sisters is working on a new pair… I don't know how that is possible… I don't know how he is doing… I don't know what he is getting out or how he will be… _Sniffle…"_

Mollie lightly blushed as she felt a tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Stella holding a juice out to her, tears rolling down her cheeks as well. "Thanks…"

Stella nodded, handing a juice to each of them before joining them on the couch. "It's hard… it really is… I know I haven't known him as long as you or his other friends and definitely not as long as his sisters… But it really breaks my heart… Lincoln was my first friend when I moved here and that really means a lot to me. He has always treated me with kindness and always shown me respect. Even when I told him I wasn't looking to be in a relationship… Lincoln is a one of a kind person… Hmm… I remember when we first met. He was rushing to the bus and almost missed it. He looked really embarrassed as every one laughed at him. He just walked up to me and introduced himself, saying it must be lonely being new. It was and he told me I just hadn't met the right people yet."

"I thought that was really sweet and moved my bag, asking if he would like to sit with me. He did and I told him I didn't thing he was going to make it. He agreed, pulling his shirt forward and told me; 'Yeah, good thing I'm dressed like a caution cone, or the driver never would have seen me.' Really, it was supper silly and made me laugh, but I thought it was cute... We ate carrot sticks the rest of the way to school…"

"It was a really simple thing… but it started our friendship…"

Lucy lightly smiled, thinking about what happened before the bus. "You should have seen why he was late. He really wanted to meat you. He had his hair all slicked back and wore a leather jacket… He really wanted to impress you… in the end, we convinced him you would rather get to know the real him."

Stella smiled, wiping her eyes. "Hmm… You were right. I am very glad I got to meet the real Lincoln…"

Lucy turned to Mollie, looking at her through her hair. "So, how did you meet Lincoln?" Mollie turned to look at her, blushing lightly. "Oh um… Well, Lincoln and I haven't always been the greatest of friends… We only really started to talk when Girl Jordan showed me a video of Lincoln at one of her previous pool parties. Lincoln was jumping on a diving board and did the biggest cannon ball I had ever seen. Well, me being me, I thought I could out do Lincoln and told Girl Jordan that I could out do Lincoln any day."

"Well, little did I know, she told Lincoln and he challenged me to competition, saying he would wipe the floor with me. I accepted and the next time Girl Jordan had a pool party, Lincoln and I started to compete. He let me go first and I did really well. I managed to spray the side of the house and when I got out, I gave Lincoln a very cocky grin… well, his turn came and he wiped the floor with me. The splash was so big it knocked me back into the pool. After making sure I wasn't dying, Lincoln gave me a huge smile, telling me that no one had ever come close to beating him and I was the closest. He challenged me the next pool party and well, we have been going at it ever since. I lose every time, but I still find it super fun. I know it's not as… Sweet as Stella's first meeting with Lincoln, but it still means a lot to me."

Mollie looked at Lucy, seeing the twins had come out from behind Lucy to hear the story, looking a lot more relaxed. Even Lucy seemed a lot more… not depressed. Mollie couldn't help but to fell satisfied and she turned to Stella. "Have any more good Lincoln stories? I have a bunch, but I'm sure you do too."

Stella lightly smiled, looking at Lucy and the twins. "Did Lincoln ever tell you about the time Lincoln, me and some of our friends found a mutant rat at the school?"

Mollie looked at Stella, her eyes widening in shock. Lucy and the twins' eyes shined, giving her their full attention. Stella grinned, looking at them slyly. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else. Okay?"

Lucy and the Twins nodded, looking at her with excitement. Stella looked at Mollie, making Mollie roll her eyes. "Fine, I promise as well. But I'm going to ask Lincoln about it when he comes home." Stella nodded, her grin growing. "Okay, so it all started when we had to bring important things to show and tell…"

Luan was shivering as she walked to the front door of a very familiar house. She was so cold her feet were numb and her hands ached.

She stepped forward, her legs almost giving out as she raised a frozen bloody hand.

"KNOCK KNOCK…"

After a few short moments, the door swung open and Luan fell forward, landing in a pair of surprised arms. "LUAN? What on earth are you doing hear like this? Oh god…"

Luan sighed as she was lifted and brought inside. She was quickly carried to a couch and laid down. A blanket from the side of the couch was placed over her and tucked tightly around her and her savior looked at her in worry. "Stay here. I am going to go and grab more blankets. I'll make you some tea and I'll get the fire going, okay? And I'll get the first aid kit..."

Luan nodded, too cold to talk. She looked down at the floor, hearing feet quickly move away. The warmth of the room was painful as it slowly started to warm her. Her feet were still completely numb, but the rest of her felt like it was on fire. Tears filled her eyes, stinging her frozen face.

Rapid foot falls filled the floor and multiple blankets were thrown over her. A gentle hand tucked them around her before coming to rest on her shoulder. The figure dropped to their knees and came to look her in the eyes. "Luan… What is going on? Did something happen? I heard about Lincoln and I've been so worried about you… I have been trying to call you, but assumed you didn't get a chance to call me back. I'm not upset about it, but I have been really worried."

Luan looked up at him, slowly and shakily reaching a hand out, grabbing his hand. "B…B…Ben…Benny… Please… I.. I… th…th..think… I…I… m..made a… re..really… bad… m… …ss…ssta..k..ke…"

Benny leaned in close, wrapping his arms around her, using his face to warm her's. "Don't worry Luan. I am here for you. I will always be here for you…"

**It's been a while since I've posted. I have been having a bit of trouble with my computer, but I think it is all been dealt with. This is actually the second time I have written this. My computer crashed and I lost the original. I have decided to end this chapter here. If I continued, it would have been well over ten thousand words long and that seemed like a bit much. Expect the next chapter a lot sooner.**

**Thank you for your patience and I would like to know what you thought of this chapter. I know it is a bit darker than usual, but it is rather important. I wanted to show Luan's decent into sadness and if this chapter didn't make a lot of sense, I'm hoping to make it more understandable in the next.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading. Please leave a review. I know I don't respond to them all, mostly because a lot of you use guest accounts, but I do read them all and I enjoy reading them. As always, have a good one.**


	12. Chapter 12

Lori let out a tired sigh. She was getting very discouraged and she wanted to pull the van over so she could crawl under the seat a cry. Everyone had been out searching for Luan for well over an hour. She definitely wasn't a doctor, but as long as Luan had been gone, if she didn't find somewhere warm, she was going to either end up very sick, hurt or… Lori couldn't let herself thing about the other possibility.

She and Lynn had searched just about everywhere. Going to her favorite comedy venues, her favorite gag store, talking to her patrons, stopping at the high school, if it was summer, Lori would have given up by now… But she couldn't. She was tempted to call the police and have them help. They already had Sam and Luna, Jim, their parents, Leni and her friend Fiona and they had called everyone they knew, asking them to keep an eye out for her.

"_Sniffle…"_

Lori's eyes widened in surprise as she looked over to see Lynn wiping her eyes, her cheeks turning pink when their eyes met. "Sorry Lori… It's just… What if we don't find her? I don't want to have another sibling that is at risk of… You know… dying… And what if Lincoln wakes before we find her? He would never forgive us…"

Lori frowned, bringing her hand to rest on Lynn's. "Hey, don't think like that. I know this is really stressful and very painful, but we will find her. We'll get her help and once Lincoln comes home, everything will go back to normal… or at least as normal as it can get… Anyway, we will find her. It's just a matter of time."

Lynn nodded, taking Lori's hand, mildly surprising her. "I'm scared Lori… I'm trying to be brave for everyone… For Lincoln, the little ones and you and the others, mom and dad… but it's so hard… I feel like things keep getting worse. First Lincoln… and now whatever is happening to Luan… I wish I couldn't feel it… I have broken more bones than most people… but nothing hurts as bad as this…"

Lori nodded, lightly squeezing Lynn's hand. "I know. It hurts me too… I'm so proud of you Lynn. You have changed so much, trying to help keep everyone together. It's hard, but it makes us all stronger. Just like playing your sports makes you physically stronger, this will make you stronger as a person. You know, emotionally."

Lynn slowly nodded, biting her lip. "I just want Linc to come back home. I don't care how much I need to help him, I just want to see him again. I want to give him the biggest hug and I'll sit with him while he reads those silly comics or plays those games he likes… When we find Luan, I'll give her a hug just as big… You know… now that Luan has stopped telling those god awful jokes… I miss them. I want to hear one as bad as I want to see Lincoln… I need to know that everything isn't going to crumble apart around us…"

Lori sighed, turning to stop at Flips, seeing the gas meter low. "Yeah… I miss that twerp more than I thought possible and Luan's jokes, as bad as they can get… Well, I don't think we give her enough credit for them. Once she starts up again… I swear if I don't laugh… I'll literally turn myself into a pretzel. And… when Lincoln comes home, I'm going to be spending time with him. I can't stand not having him around."

Lynn nodded, watching as Lori unhooked her seat belt. "Yeah… I will be too… I don't care if I have to give up sports all together… I just want to see his smile again…"

Lori nodded, wiping her eyes before getting out. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go pay, you need something?" Lynn sighed, looking at the store. "Do you think you could get me a Flippy? One of the blue ones? Lincoln is always trying to get me to try it… I know it's winter… but you know Flip…"

Lori nodded, smiling sadly, not sure how to feel. "Okay, I'll be right back." Lynn watched as Lori closed the door, rushing for the store.

Lori opened the door, rushing in. She looked at the front counter, sighing when she didn't see Flip and headed for the back of the store. She grabbed a couple of hot cocoas before heading for the Flippy machine, grabbing one of the cups and filling it. She looked at it, eyeing it with uncertainty. She always thought Flippys looked suspicious, but looking at it up close and she could swear it looked like I glowed slightly.

Shaking the thought off, she headed for the counter, grabbing the three drinks and pulling out her wallet.

Flip was still not there, but she could hear movement in the back office. She let out a sigh and called out. "Hello? Flip, I'm ready to pay."

Instantly the elder man came out, eyeing what Lori had. "Is that all?" Lori shook her head, pointing at the van. "No, I'm getting gas too." Flip nodded, calculating the cost. He gave Lori a look and he hesitated, shaking his head. "You know what? You look like you need a break. I can't believe I'm saying this, but pay for the drinks and I'll pay for the gas. I owe that Lincoln kid anyway. Tell him we are even."

Lori's eyes widened in surprise and Flip rolled his eyes. "Come on, before I change my mind…" Lori nodded, pulling out what she owed and paid. Flip gave her change and turned to leave for his office, pausing for a moment. "When that kid wakes up… tell him I said hello. There is a new Flippy flavor coming out and I think he would like to be the first to try it."

Lori smiled as Flip walked into his office, closing the door. She turned around and headed out the door. She got to the van and opened the door, handing the drinks to Lynn. "I got you a hot cocoa too, just to warm you up after. You're not going to believe what just happened in there. Flip is letting me fill the tank for free."

Lynn's eyes widened in shock, rubbing her eyes as if she was dreaming. "What? Flip? As in the greedy old man who charges three times the price for a drink, thinking it's a deal?" Lori nodded, making Lynn even more shocked. "Wow… I guess miracles can happen…"

Lori let out an amused snort and closed the door, beginning to pump gas. While she waited for the tank to fill, Lynn started to drink her flippy, finding the taste odd, yet rather pleasing. Sort of like blue raspberry and watermelon with frozen corn syrup and glow sticks.

Lori finished pumping gas, putting the hose away before getting in. She say down, closing the door and buckling her seatbelt. She took a quick look at Lynn before starting the van and smiled. Lynn had almost finished half the Flippy in the time it took her to pump the gas and she looked like she was really enjoying it.

Lori started the van, just about to pull out. "Glad to know you like it." Lynn looked at the drink and nodded. "Yeah, it's way better than I thought it would be. It's got a weird flavor, but in a good way. Almost like a mix of Blue Raspberry and wa…"

"RING…"

Lynn cut off as Lori's phone went off. Lori quickly pulled out her phone, raising a brow. "Hmm, unknown number…" Lori answered the phone, her eyes softening and her body relaxing when she heard the voice. A tear of relief slid down her cheek…

"Really? You have no idea what this means to us Benny. Yeah, we will be there is a few minutes. Thank you. Good bye."

Lynn turned to look at Lori, her eyes hopeful. "Was that…?" Lori nodded, handing her phone to Lynn. "Yes. Can you call the others? Tell them we found Luan."

Lori pulled into Benny's drive way a few minutes later. She and Luan jumped out of the van and ran to the house. They others were headed home since it would, hopefully, make Luan more comfortable to only be around a few people. Lori was super nervous, unsure how Luan would react when she saw her, but she and Lynn were the closest to Benny's.

They stepped up to the door and Lori raised her hand, knocking on the door. After only a few moments, the door swung open and Benny stood before them. He looked tired, yet not unhappy to see them. "Good, you're here. Luan is on my couch resting… She has a fever, but I managed to get it to go down a bit. I'm not even sure what is going on, but she really needs to sleep… also, she told me what happened… or at least what she can remember. She is really scared about how you will react if you see her."

Lori frowned. "Does she know I'm here?" Benny awkwardly scratched his head. "Err… Yeah, but she wasn't thrilled about it… I think, she thinks, you are mad at her. I would have called someone else, but you were her first contact and I'm really worried about her."

Lori nodded and she and Lynn followed Benny into the house, going to the living room. Lori spotted Luan lying on the couch, her eyes closed. Her face was a bit paler and the dark circles under her eyes we much darker. She looked exhausted and she was tightly wrapped in blankets.

Lori turned to Benny, pulling her hands over her stomach. "So… How long has she been here?" Benny pulled out his phone, looking at the time. "For a few hours. I would have called sooner, but I needed to get her warmed up. I covered her in blankets so her own body heat would return and I started a fire to help warm her outside. I also made her a hot cut of tea, but she only drank about half. I don't think she feels very good. I checked her over to make sure her feet and hands didn't have any frost bite. My grandfather got it a few years ago, not pretty. Luckily Luan was relatively fine. Just really cold. I would say she was lucky to show up when she did."

Lori nodded, looking back at Luan. "Thank you Benny. It means a lot that you care so much about her. She really couldn't ask for a better boyfriend." Benny sighed, blushing slightly. "Thanks… but if I was a better boyfriend I would have come to check up on her. After she didn't call for a few days is started to get a bit worried, but then I heard about Lincoln on the news… Sorry to hear about him. How is he?"

Lori scratched her arm, letting out a tired sigh. "I don't know… He is in a coma… for now anyway, but we haven't really heard anything about him. Lisa is building a pair of legs for him, but until those are finished, we can't wake him up… so yeah. Not really sure how to answer that question."

Benny nodded, looking down at Luan. "I see… I'm sorry. I'm sure you are tired of people asking, it's just not really fair for him. He is so young and from what I've seen of him, I think he's a really cool little guy. Well, anyway, let's…"

"Lori? How did you get here? I thought Vanzilla wasn't working."

Lori raised a brow, turning to look at Luan. She was rubbing her eyes and trying to sit up. Lori and Lynn popped down to kneel next to the couch, looking up at her. "We took the van. I brought mom and dad to work this morning. They got rides back home from one of dad's coworkers… How are you feeling?"

Luan gave Lori a nervous look. "I feel kinda crappy… Are you mad at me? I'm so sorry… I really didn't mean to choke you… Honestly, I don't even remember choking you… Everything is just blurry and trying to think about it makes my head hurt… I'm sorry if you are all angry and I'll do whatever it takes to make you all forgive…"

Luan was cut off as Lori and Lynn pulled her into a tight hug, surprising her. Lori rubbed her back and Lynn started to cry. Lori looked at Luan, keeping the tight embrace. "Please, never run away again. You scared us all. Please promise you will talk things threw with us and Jim. We need to stick together."

Lynn nodded, agreeing. "Please don't do that again… Please, I don't want another sibling to end up in the hospital… One at risk is already too much to handle. I don't want to lose you." Luan frowned, hugging both of them back, tears beginning to run down her face. "I'm sorry… I won't run away again… and I'll try to talk to Jim… I'm just scared…"

Lori nodded, pressing her cheek against Luan's. "I know. I am too. This is very confusing for all of us and not knowing what is going on with Lincoln and his legs… it is truly terrifying. Just please, the next time something is bothering you, tell us about it before it literally makes you sick."

Luan nodded, putting her head down. "I just want things to go back to normal. I want Lincoln home and I want to hear him laugh more than anything I have ever wanted. I would give up everything just to see him smiling… Not that god awful drugged laughter either. I want to hear the real Lincoln again…"

Lori sighed, looking down at her. "Luan… That is what we all want and we once we help you, we can start making that happen. I know things will be different, but we really can try to make things go back to normal… We just need your help… Lincoln needs your help."

Luan frowned, turning her head to stare off into the distance. "Lincoln doesn't need me for anything… No one does… I'll just make things worse… If he even lives long enough to…"

"SMACK…"

Lori's eyes widened in shock and Benny fell over in surprise as Lynn slapped Luan across the face. Lori looked at Lynn, seeing tears flowing from her eyes and an angry look spread across her face. "Lynn, what the hell was that for?"

Lynn didn't respond, she just grabbed Luan's shirt collar and pulled her from Lori. Lynn looked Luan straight in the eyes, their noses nearly touching. Luan's eyes narrowed, her breathing growing rapid. "DAMN IT LUAN, STOP TALKING LIKE THAT. THIS ISN'T YOUR FAULT AND LINCOLN ISN'T GOING TO DIE!"

Luan frowned, trying to pull out of her grip, but her fever was making her weak. "Yes it is and you don't know that. We don't know anything about Lincoln. Why are you guys even here? You should all be hating me, not trying to bring me home. Just go home and…"

"NO. YOU THINK THIS IS EASY? YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE HAVING TROUBLE WITH THIS? YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THIS WHOLE MESS IS THEIR FAULT? I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WATCHING HIM, IF ANYONE IS TO BLAME IT IS ME!" Lori paused, her breathing getting ragged. Both Lynn and Luan looked at her in surprise.

"Damn it Luan… It's as much my fault as it is yours. We should have all been paying attention… I know Lincoln might still die… We just have to have faith that Lisa can get his new legs done before it's too late to wake him. This is hard on all of us… Please come home with us. We are all worried about Lincoln and we all miss him… Please don't let this ruin you… I told you this once already, but I doubt you even remember it… If you aren't going to do it for us and you aren't going to do it for yourself, then do it for Lincoln."

Luan looked at the ceiling. "Please... How can you be so sure he will wake up?"

Lynn gently set Luan back onto the couch and took her hands. "Luan… I know Lincoln will wake up because… Well… It's Lincoln. He loves us too much to die… And if Lincoln dies… Than what is there left for us? If Lincoln dies… If… _Sniffle__…_ If Lincoln…"

Lynn dropping to her knees, pressing her face into Luan's side. "Oh god… What if Lincoln dies? There is so much I have to tell him… I don't even remember the last time I told him I loved him… Please… Lincoln has too live… Please… I don't want to lose my little brother…"

Lori looked at Lynn, frowning. she settled down on her knees beside Lynn and wrapped her in a hug. This was all really getting to Lori. Seeing and hearing everything that her sisters thought… "We are a mess without him… All this talk of Lincoln dying… It's a hard thing to stomach… and it is a possibility… But Lincoln is still alive. We should stop worrying about what might or might not happen and prepare for what we hope… Because if we don't and Lincoln does live and we can wake him… then what is going to happen to him if we don't? Lincoln will be alone and scared… I'm not trying to make light of this whole thing… but I'm trying to think positive… I know it's hard… and at times it can be impossible… But we can still… still try to help Lincoln and… and… and if he does die… than at least I will know that I did everything I could to help him. Even if… if it wasn't enough, it will be something."

Lynn looked up at Lori, she looked so sad and the look in her eyes broke her heart. "Y..you really think that… that what we were trying to do at home will help? I mean, wouldn't Lincoln prefer his own room? We can't even give him that… will he even be happy to see what we did? What if he gets upset at us for trying to help too much? What if he is angry that…"

Lynn was cut off as, much to Lynn and Lori's surprise, Luan pulled her into a tight hug. "Well then… We can deal with an angry Lincoln if the time comes. I… I would much rather deal with an angry Lincoln, than a dead Lincoln. That is a much better thing to worry about. I'm sorry that I made you so upset, please believe me when I say that I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm still worried that Lincoln won't make it… but if you two think that helping set up the house could help Lincoln… than I guess it couldn't hurt to distract myself… I'm just so scared… but I suppose so are the rest of you… I'm just so confused and my head is killing me."

Lori leaned in to hug them both. "I know… You are sick and we really should get you home. Once we get you settled and warm, we can decide what to do. Just know, you aren't alone. So, what do you say, are you ready to come home?"

Luan let out a long and very tired sigh, making Lori frown when she heard a bit of wheezing. She looked up at Lori, wiping her eyes. "Yeah…"

Lori let out a relieved sigh, pulling both Luan and Lynn into a hug. "Great. Hey Benny, is it okay if we burrow one of your blankets? We didn't have time to grab her anything warm to wear."

"Yeah, sure thing. Err… Let me grab a pair of my socks and shoes for her as well. They may be a bit big on her, but she shouldn't have to walk bare foot again. It's getting colder by the second."

Lori nodded, watching Benny dash off before looking back to Luan. "Okay, let's get you wrapped in a warm blanket…"

Luan nodded as Lori and Lynn pulled out of their hug. They helped her into a sitting position and wrapped a blanket around her, pulling it over her head like a hood and tucking it around her. In the end, she looked rather ridiculous, making both Lori and Lynn let out small chuckles, which in turn, made Luan raise a brow.

"What?"

Lori shook her head, pulling out her phone to take a picture, showing her. "You look like an old Babushka."

Luan looked at the photo for a moment, blinking a few times and shaking her head. A small smile slowly crept up her face. "I look stupid and my hair is a mess… But yeah, I guess I look like a Russian grandma."

"The prettiest grandma I ever saw. I have to say, you age wonderfully."

Luan's cheeks turned pink as Benny walked back into the room, carrying socks and shoes. "Oh Benny, always the flatterer… _Yawn…"_

Benny let out an amused snort, walking to stand in front of Luan, kneeling. "Looks like someone is tired. Not that I'm surprised, you did run from your house to mine, in the cold and you are sick… Don't do that again. Next time you want to see me, just call and I'll come over or at the very least, put on warm clothes. In fact, if you were to call me as soon as you get home, I would appreciate it. I shouldn't have waited so long and just called you from the start. I need you to know that I'm here to support you in any way I can."

Luan sighed, leaning down to hug him, making Lori and Lynn "Aw" at them. "Thanks Benny… You are the best."

Benny just shrugged and grabbed her feet, putting on the socks and shoes. "Don't mention it. Someone other than your sisters has to watch out for you."

Luan nodded, shifting her feet in the shoes. "Thanks Benny. They are a bit big, but they are warm. I'd kiss you, but I don't want to make you sick."

Benny stood and leaned down, kissing her. "Don't worry, I have a great immune system, I hardly ever get sick."

"Luan let out a small giggle. "Stop, that tickles… Wait, weren't you sick just a couple of weeks ago? And the week before?"

Benny shrugged, giving her a hug. "All well, I guess I'll have to make myself some tea. It is worth it as long as I can hear that beautiful laughter again…"

Luan sighed, pressing her face into his chest. "Thanks for being here for me Benny…"

Benny nodded, rubbing her back. "Of course, I will always be here for you. Come on, let's get you out to the car. I bet the rest of your family is worried about you."

Luan frowned as Benny pulled away and helped her to her feet. "I just hope they aren't mad… I did run off and at the worst possible time…"

Lori shook her head, moving to help hold up Luan. "Don't worry about them. You aren't feeling well and ran off because you were under stress. I'm sure they will be thrilled to see that you are okay… Well, better than you were anyway. You look miserable."

Luan nodded as she pulled the blanket tighter around her. "Okay… I am a little tired."

Lori nodded, wrapping her arm around one side of her, while Benny wrapped his arm around her other. Lynn headed for the door. "Alright, let's get you home then… Now that I think about it, I feel a little bit stupid for not thinking of coming here first, but it is what is it is. Anyway, once we get you sat down and warm, I can make you a cup of that tea you like, okay?"

Luan nodded, her breathing getting a little raspy. "Okay…"

Lori looked at Lynn and nodded. In turn, Lynn opened the door and Lori and Benny began to help Luan to the van. Lynn stepped outside, letting the others out after her and she moved for the van, opening the passenger door for Luan.

Lori and Benny helped her into the van and Lori reached over to start it, letting it warm up, though, it didn't take long, as they had only turned it off about twenty minutes ago. Lori tightly wrapped Luan in the blanket, tucking it around her and then buckled the seat belt.

After Lori closed the door, Luan waved to Benny and in response, he blew her a kiss, making her smile. Lori turned to Benny and sighed. "Thanks Benny, you have no idea how much this means to us. I don't know how we will ever repay you."

Benny shook his head, looking at the tired Luan through the windshield. "No thanks necessary and if you want to repay me, make sure Luan gives me a call or a text when she gets home. I just want to make sure she settles in alright.

Lori nodded, stepping around the van. "Of course, I'll make sure that is the first thing she does once she is settled down."

Benny nodded, waving as Lori got into the van, Lynn following into the back. Lori buckled her seat belt and let out a sigh, watching as Benny headed for his house. She turned her head, looking at Luan. "Ready?"

Luan turned to look at her and nodded. "Yeah… About as ready as I'll ever be anyway…"

Lori nodded as she began to pull out of the driveway and started down the road. Lynn leaned over from the back and grabbed her hot cocoa. "Don't want to forget this… Oh, there is one for you too Luan. Oh… Get this, when Lori and I stopped for gas, Flip let her fill the tank for free, just as long as she paid for the drinks."

Luan looked at Lynn, raising a brow. "Wait… What? Flip? As in the old cheap skate?"

Lynn nodded, making Luan let out a tired laugh. "Wow… That is… Wow. I didn't think I would see the day when I would here about Flip doing something nice."

Lori smiled as they headed down the road. Things were starting to change and for the first time in what felt like a long time, it seemed for the better. Lynn was becoming far more open, Luna found comfort in Sam, Luan was going to start getting help. Things were far from good, but it was a good start. Now, Lori needed to focus a bit on herself and her issues…

* * *

The van pulled into the Loud's drive way fifteen minutes later and Luan felt like complete and utter crap. She felt so stupid for causing so much trouble and she didn't even really know what she did. She still couldn't believe that she choked Lori earlier that day and not only had she cause trouble, but she had gone and gotten sick. She didn't even know she could get sick so fast…

"Alright Luan, just sit still for a moment and we can get you into the house."

Luan turned to look at Lori and she nodded. "Okay…" Luan wasn't up for arguing. She didn't feel that she had the right to. She didn't think she was sick enough that she had to have help getting into the house… But she was feeling a lot more tired since they had left and she did need help getting to the car…

"Click"

Luan jumped a little as her door opened, revealing both Lori and Lynn giving her worried looks. Luan felt awful. She had caused so much trouble for her sisters, just because she was upset… She was a terrible sister…

"Alright Luan, I know you are probably a bit nervous to go back into the house, but I can assure you, you aren't in trouble. Just relax and if mom or dad start yelling, I'll deal with them, okay?"

Luan nodded with a frown. "Thanks… But you don't have to do that. I shouldn't have run off, I just put more stress on you all."

Lori shook her head and held out her hand. "No you didn't. You are under just as much stress as the rest of us. The fact that it took this long for one of us to run off, well, that in its self is a miracle. Here, take my hand. We are here for you, so don't worry."

Luan sighed and pulled the blanket tighter around herself before sending a hand out to take Lori's. "Thanks…"

Lori nodded as she helped Luan from the van. Luan stepped onto the driveway, but her foot slipped on a small patch of ice, making her heart jump. Lynn's arms shot out, wrapping under Luan's shoulders, catching her. "Wow now… There we go. Here, lean on me. It's gotten a lot colder out and a lot of ice has formed. We will have to watch out steps."

Luan nodded, leaning a bit on Lynn as she stood straight. "Thanks… I think I hate winter. I doubt I will ever use ice for anything ever again."

Lynn nodded, patting her back and tightening her grip. "I uh… I don't blame you. I umm… I don't really like… Umm… It kind of scares me to walk on the ice…"

Luan's eyes widened a little and she turned to look at Lynn's face. Her head was bent and her eyes were focused on the ground. Luan frowned. She thought that Lynn had been holding tightly to her to keep her from falling, but now, she was pretty sure it was because she was afraid of falling.

"Thanks Lynn… It means a lot that you came to find me. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble…"

Lynn looked up at her, pausing at the stairs to the door. "Luan… Listen… I am upset that you ran off, you could have gotten hurt and you got sick. I'm not angry though. I'm just glad to have you back here… Just don't do it again or I will hunt you down and drag you back by your feet. I'm not going to let you get hurt because you are sad. I know I don't say it very often, but I love you and the thought of another person I love getting hurt breaks my heart."

Luan looked at Lynn in surprise. Lynn had never been the most open about her feelings and for her to outright say that she loved her… Luan turned to Lynn and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry I upset you. I was scared and I couldn't think straight… I love you too Lynn and I won't run away again. I promise."

Lynn nodded, returning the hug. "Come on, let's get inside. It's getting a lot colder and I don't want you to get sicker."

Luan sighed as they pulled out of the hug. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at Lori. "Lynn is right. Let's get you settled and I'll make you a nice hot cup of tea… Oh and make sure to give Benny a call. That boy of yours is literally sweet heart. You sure lucked out with that one."

Luan gave her a small smile as they stepped up to the door. "Yeah… I really did. Thanks Lori, a cup of tea sounds lovely… _Cough… Cough…"_

Luan sighed as she took a deep breath and Lori rubbed her back. "I'll add some honey too. We should bite this cold in the butt before it gets worse… Ready?"

Luan nodded, watching as Lori's hand reached for the door knob… She was very nervous and as Lori turned the knob, Luan felt her heart skip a beat. The door swung open and Luan could hear a few quiet voices, which made her even more nervous. Slowly, they moved forward.

Luan's anxiety only grew as they stepped though the door. The living room was mostly empty, save for they parents, Luna, Sam, Leni and that odd therapist, Jim. When she stepped in, they were all looking at her and they slowly stood as Lori and Lynn pulled her inside. If not for the fact that she had just promised Lynn that she wouldn't run again, she would have been have way back to Benny's… Although, as cruddy as she felt, she didn't suspect she would get very far.

Her parents and sisters moved to her, giving her looks that she couldn't quite read. She stopped walking and she felt Lynn and Lori wrap around her, helping her to relax. Luan looked from her sisters, to her parents, unsure what to do or say.

"Umm… I'm, err… I'm sorry I ran… Please don't be angry at me…"

Luan looked at the floor. She couldn't bear to look into their eyes. "Luan."

Luan kept her head down. Hearing Luna's voice made her feel worse. She didn't know if Leni knew what was going on and her parents were probably really tired and didn't want to have to deal with her… but Luna… Luan felt terrible. She was probably super mad at her…

Luan watched as a pair of purple boots came into view and she closed her eyes. She couldn't do it…

"Luan… I'm so glad you are home, please don't run off again"

Luan's eyes opened in surprise as Luna pulled her from Lori and Lynn, giving her a tight hug. "Please, please, don't run off again. I don't want you to get hurt and I was so scared…"

Luan sighed, wrapping her arms around Luna. "I'm sorry… I was confused and scared… I still can't really think straight… I didn't mean to scare anyone… It's just…" Luan couldn't handle it anymore. She was tired, she didn't feel good and quite frankly, she was still terrified. She burst into tears and pressed her face into Luna's chest. "I'm sorry… I didn't want to hurt Lori, I swear… I'm just so confused and I can't remember this morning. I'm scared…"

Luna began to rub her back, trying to calm her. Luan felt Lori and Lynn join the hug and soon, her parents and Leni joined. Even Sam joined.

"Luan… We know that you are tired and you look like you don't feel good, but we really need to talk."

Luan stiffened when she heard her mother's voice in her ear. She could only nod.

"Don't worry Luan, you're not in trouble. We just need to know what is going on with you."

Luan sighed, pulling her head from Luna to look at her father. "Okay… I really am sorry I ran…"

Mr. Loud nodded, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "I know. I'll admit, you really scared us and I wasn't happy to hear you attacked Lori… But after Luna explained it to me, I can say I understand why you left. I promise, we will figure out what happened."

Luan nodded, felling guilty. "I still can't believe I did that… I don't understand why I can't remember this morning… Am I going crazy?"

"No deary, I can say with absolute certainty that you are one hundred percent sane. After you get settled down and get comfortable, I can explain it to you."

Everyone turned to look at Jim. He stood next to the coffee table, heavily leaning on his cane. Luan gave him a quick look over. She had seen him several times, but this was the first really look she got of him. He seemed… Off, yet kind. "Thank you… I appreciate you looking for me… Lori explained a few things on the way here. I'm sorry that I caused so much trouble…"

Jim shook his head, retaking his seat. "No apology necessary dear. I am just happy to see you are alright… Though, from the look of you, you look like you could use a nap. If you would prefer, we can hold this off until you are feeling better."

Luan shook her head, pulling from her family as they separated. "No, it's fine. I just want to know what is going on."

Jim nodded, giving Luan time to find a seat. Luan looked at her sisters and Luna and Sam came over to sit on her right, while Lynn and Lori came to sit on her left. Leni sat on the floor with her back against the arm of the couch and their parents took the arm chair.

Luan sighed, looking at Jim. "I'm sorry, my boyfriend wanted me to call or text him when I got back home, to make sure I was alright. Is it alright if I give him a quick text?"

Jim gave her a nod and an odd half smile. "Of course, take all the time you need to get comfortable. This is about you and we can get started when you are ready."

Luan nodded and was about to get up to go find her phone, but Lori held her down. "Stay. Here, use mine. I'll go make that cup of tea I promised you. Just get comfy and stay warm."

Luan blinked in surprise as Lori placed her phone in her hand. Lori almost never let people use her phone. She looked up at her. "Thanks Lori."

Lori nodded before turning to leave. "Anyone else want a cup of tea? Lynn? Jim? Anyone?" Their parents shook their heads no, as well as Luna and Sam. Jim said no thanks, but Lynn said yes. Luan just figured it was because she was cold, as Lynn wasn't much of a tea drinker.

Lori nodded and took off for the kitchen. Luan looked at Lori's phone and saw that it was opened to the messaging app. She let out a tired sigh as she put in Benny's number and sent a quick text. "Hey Benny, I'm home. Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it… By the way, this is Lori's phone. I'll talk to you later on my phone. Love Luan."

"Bzzt"

It was only a few seconds until Luan got a text back. "Good to hear and no thanks necessary. I helped because I love you. It's as simple as that. I'll talk to you later and I love you too. Benny."

Luan closed out of the app and put the phone on standby, setting it on her lap. Benny was the best…

"So, how are you feeling?"

Luan looked over at Luna and sighed. "I have a massive head ache and I've managed to catch a cold, though, I'm not sure how. It's only been a few hours. I thought colds took around a day to kick in."

Luna frowned, placing a hand to her head. "Hmm… You have a bit of a fever and you look exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to wait to do this?"

Luan sighed, shaking her head. "No… I just want to get it over with… I'm tired of feeling terrible… and I feel a lot better with you guys around… I'm very nervous."

Luna nodded, leaning over to hug Luan. "Don't be. We are here to support you, not judge you. You didn't even do anything wrong."

Luan frowned, looking at Benny's shoes. "Yeah… Except I choked out Lori and I don't even remember it. That's pretty bad in my book…"

Luna sighed, leaning her head against Luan. "You made a mistake because you were under pressure. You are sorry about it and I know Lori forgives you. Now, you just need to forgive yourself. I know it's not easy and I'm not going to claim that I know what is going on with you… But I can say, I know you and I know that you would never try to hurt anyone like that on purpose."

Luan laid her head on Luna's and in response Luna placed a hand on her's. "Thanks Luna… I'm still very confused… But knowing that you are all here for me helps. I mean… I feel really stupid for thinking you would all blame me for what happened to Lincoln…"

Luna turning her head to Luan, a frown on her face and Luan felt Lynn hug her other side. "Luan, of course we don't blame you. What happened to Lincoln was that man's fault, not yours. What on earth would even give you that idea?"

Luan looked back down at her shoes, sighing. "I kept telling jokes and Lori kept telling me to stop… I should have stopped… If I stopped than maybe we would have heard the car and Lincoln might not have gotten hit by the car…"

"Perhaps… Or perhaps you all would have gotten hit instead of your brother."

Luan looked at Jim, raising a brow. "What do you mean?"

Jim blinked at her a few times and sat up. "What I mean is, if you all heard the car wouldn't you all tried to get Lincoln out of the way? I don't know much about him, but from what I have heard from your sisters, your parents and his friends, Lincoln is an amazing kid. From what I have heard and seen, you would all do anything for him, including trying to save his life, just as he saved yours. What I'm saying is, this isn't your fault. It isn't Lori's, it isn't Luna's. It is Mr. McCann's fault. He made his choices and Lincoln got hurt from it. It is as simple as that. Of course, just because it is simple, does not mean it is easy."

Luan sighed. "I know you are right… I just can't help but to feel at least partly responcible for what happened… I wish none of this happened… That McCann guy will never get enough of a punishment for hurting Lincoln…"

"McCann… Why does that name sound so familiar? I mean, other than being the guy who hurt Lincoln…"

Luan and the others turned to look at Lori, who was holding three coffee cups of tea. "Sorry for interrupting, I brought tea…"

Luan sighed, taking a cup as Lori handed it to her. "Thanks… I don't know. I think it sound a bit familiar, but I don't know…"

"McCann… McCann… Didn't Lincoln talk about some kid with that name? Something about a sewer party or something?"

Luan turned to look at Lynn, raising a brow. "What are you talking about?"

Lynn frowned, placing a hand on her chin as she thought. "Yeah… I think it was some birthday party for some kid named… Chad or Chan… Chan…"

"Chandler… I remember that kid…"

Luan and the others turned back to Lori. "Who?"

Lori frowned. "His name is Chandler McCann. He was a popular kid that gave Lincoln a bit of crap a few months ago. I don't exactly remember what it was all about, but when he found out that I was giving Lincoln free snacks when I worked for Gus, he started to demand them from Lincoln, something about it making Lincoln a good friend. Well, I got in trouble for it and my boss told me I had to work off all of the stuff I gave them… I was mad at Lincoln, but he ended up convincing Gus to let him work off what I owed. It's one of my favorite memories of Lincoln… Because of him I got to go to a dance with Bobby… It was really important to me… _Sniffle…_ Anyway, when I first heard the name McCann, I got a weird feeling about it, thinking that something was wrong, but now I don't think that is going to be an issue. Lincoln and Chandler made up and became friends. I'm not the biggest fan of him, but I'm sure he is going through some serious crap of his own. After all, his father nearly killed one of his friends."

Luan let out a long sigh. "Geez… That is a lot to take in… I guess we aren't the only ones that are having to deal with this… I wonder how Lincoln's other friends are taking this? I wonder how Clyde and Ronnie Anne are taking this… Poor Clyde must be having a serious bird over this and Ronnie… I can't even imagine how they feel…"

Lynn sighed and Luan turned to look at her. "Well, I know that Haiku and Girl Jordan are worried about him and what little we have seen of Mollie and Stella, they are worried about them… Wait, what happened to them? Did they go home?"

Luan raised a brow. "Why were Mollie and Stella here?"

Luna leaned over Luan, looking at her. "Well, they watched Lucy and the twins while we were looking for you and they are actually still here. They are upstairs right now keeping an eye on them and telling each other stories about Lincoln… pretty cute…"

Luan sighed, scratching her head. "Well… That is unexpected… I wish I didn't cause so much trouble…"

Luna wrapped her arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "Nope, no more of that. You are home and for right this second, that is all I care about. Besides, I actually thing they had fun. You wouldn't believe some of the things that Lincoln has gotten into… But that is for another day. Right now, we need to help you."

Luan leaned her head back against the couch, rubbing her face. "Alright… I guess I can't avoid this forever… What am I supposed to do? Talk about how I feel? Talk about how much I miss Lincoln?"

Luan looked at Jim, giving him a questioning look. "You said you could tell me why I can't remember what happened this morning."

Jim gave her a thoughtful look, raising his brow. "I can and I will, but first, let me ask you this. What do you think you…"

"VRRRRRR…"

Jim cut off, his eye filling with confusion. "What on earth is that?"

Luan looked around, seeing the same confusion in her family's eyes. The sound was getting louder, making Luan nervous. "Guys?"

"**VRRRRRRR"**

"THUD"

The noise was getting louder and they all heard a loud thud, making them turn to the stairs. Mollie and Stella were coming down the stairs, carrying Lola and Lana, while Lucy came down between them. They looked nervous. "Guys, what the heck is going on?"

"CLICK"

Everyone stood as the power went out and the noise cut off. Outside was getting dark, making it difficult to see in the house. Luan grabbed Lori's phone, pressing the power button. She shone it around the room until she spotted Lori and she handed it to her. "Hurry, turn on the flash light."

Lori nodded, opening her phone and pulling up the flashlight. With every one staying silent, the house was eerie, making Luan nervous. She felt Lynn step closer to her and she put her arm around her, hugging her.

"CREAK…"

Everyone turned to the sound of a floor board squeaking. Lori's light shone up the stairs, revealing a very tired looking Lisa. Luan felt Lynn relax and in turn, she herself relaxed. It was just Lisa knocking out the power again.

"Lisa?"

Lisa looked at them for a few moments, then blinked a single time. "It is finished."

* * *

**This chapter was evil to write… I know some people will be confused, but that isn't a bad thing. If you have questions, leave a review. Have a good one. ^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

"It is finished…"

Luna blinked a couple of times, processing what she had just heard. "It is finished…" What is fin… Oh… Luna's eyes widened, looking up at Lisa. She didn't know what to say, she just hoped that Lisa would tell them what it was… Luna hoped it was what she thought…

"What is finished?"

Luna turned to look at Leni in the dim light. She could just barely make out her face. Leni was practically shaking with anticipation. Luna turned back to Lisa, waiting for the answer.

Lisa let out a tired sigh, rubbing her face. "Lincoln's legs are finished."

Luna's heart soared with excitement and her legs trembled with relief. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she turned her head to see Sam smiling at her. She turned towards her, returning the hug.

"T…They're done? As in, L..Lincoln will fin..finally be coming h..home?"

Luna turned her head away from Sam and looked at Lynn. She had a look that was begging Lisa to confirm what she said. Luan wrapped her arms around Lynn. She looked shocked. "Done… Just like that?"

"Is Lincoln coming home from the hospital? When?"

Luna turned her head to look at Stella and Mollie. They were both still holding the twins, with Lucy stood between them. They started to tear up and Luna looked at Lisa. "When is Lincoln coming home?"

Lisa started down the stairs, stopping at the bottom and sitting down. "I still need to have some papers brought over… So… Monday the surgery can be done... Lincoln will have to stay for another day, maybe two, just to make sure that the legs take… Meaning, Lincoln will be able to come home on either Tuesday or Wednesday."

"So soon? Won't he need time to recover? What if his legs don't work? What if he is still in pain?"

Luna looked at her mother. She was crying, much like their father, but she also seemed to be having a bit of a panic attack. Their father wrapped his arms around her. "Come on Rita, you need to think positive. This is Lisa, she wouldn't make a mistake with something this important."

Luna flinched slightly. Way to put extra pressure on Lisa pops… Luna shook her head before turning to Lisa. She started to walk to her, Sam following close behind her. She stepped up to her younger sister and knelt in front of her, pulling her into a hug. Surprisingly, Lisa didn't try to pull away, instead, she hugged Luna back. "Great work Lisa, I'm so proud of you."

Soon, others started filing around Lisa, giving her similar sentiments. Lisa seemed rather uncomfortable, but didn't try to stop it. She just looked so… tired. Luna frowned, moving to sit next to her. "So… How have you been? We have barely seen you in the last week."

Lisa sighed as everyone focused on her. "I am fine."

Luna raised a brow, giving her a look over. "Liar."

Lisa flinched and most of the others turned their heads to give Luna a confused look. Lisa looked at the floor. "Lincoln is more important… So what if I miss a couple of hours of sleep?"

Mrs. Loud gasped, making Lisa slouch. "Lisa, you need to take care of yourself too. If you get sick, then who is going to save Lincoln?"

Luna face palmed. "Oh, for the love of… Mom, stop. Lisa is already under enough stress as it is, She doesn't need to have this on her shoulders. For heaven's sake, she is only four."

Rita frowned. "But she is a genius. She is the only one that can keep Lincoln from…"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone flinched, turning to look at Lynn. She was standing with her arms crossed, panting. "If one more person says Lincoln is going to die, I will break you. Lincoln isn't going to die. Please, just shut up. Lisa said the legs are done, so give her a break. She looks exhausted, she needs to rest. She is probably hungry, let's make sure she is well rested and well fed. She needs energy if she is going to be attaching legs to Lincoln. No more negative thoughts and that is final. This is a happy time, we should be excited. Lincoln is going to be coming home."

Luna felt a massive sense of pride for her younger sister. Lynn had her usual spark, but she had changed a lot in the last week. Lynn might not have always been the softest with her sisters or Lincoln, but there was no doubt that she Loved them all, especially Lincoln.

"Lynn is right, no more negative words dudes. We need to focus on more important things, like Lisa and getting the house prepared for Lincoln."

"But, what about…"

Their mother was cut off as their father, pulled her into a hug. "The girls are right. There is no reason to worry, until there is a reason to worry, so don't worry."

Their mother opened her mouth to reply, but paused, confusion filling her eyes. "Wait… What?"

Their father just shook his head. "Stop worrying, it upsets the kids. Come on, you've had a long day. Why don't you go lay down and I'll bring you a nice cup of hot tea, okay? I'm sure the kids can take care of Lisa for tonight."

Their mother let out a tired sigh, giving up. "Alright… I just… No, sorry, no more negative thoughts… Okay, goodnight children… Jim."

Luna watched as her father lead her mother to their room. She was worried about her mother… Both of her parents in fact. They worked long hours and they needed rest… If helping with making sure Lisa gets rest and food and working on making the house livable for Lincoln would make things easier for them, then so be it. Luna didn't mind losing a few hours of sleep if it helped get things on track to normalizing… Even if it would never go back to normal… No. No more negative thoughts. For tonight, they couldn't afford to think like that. Man, things were getting crazy…

"Well, I'll leave you children to it then. Mollie, Stella, have you notified your parents of Luan's safe return? It is getting late and I'm sure the Louds have much to do."

Mollie and Stella nodded, setting the twins down on their feet. "Yes sir. We just need to call them to pick us up."

Luna sighed, things had been really crazy today…

"Wait, what about Luan's meeting?"

Luna looked at Leni. She had a fair point, but it was getting late. The lights hadn't even been reset… She turned to Jim, awaiting a response. He just stood there for a few seconds, tapping his cane against his foot. "We can reschedule for another day. It will have to be later in the week, as I have to work in my bakery tomorrow and the week days will be spent at the school. Other than Thursday afternoon of course. I hope that will be enough time for you all to get settled with your dear brother Lincoln. If he is up for it, come by the school. I'm sure I could find a moment or two to talk. Of course, if it's an emergency, just give me a call."

They all nodded, letting the information sink in. Luna let out a sigh. Jim was… An interesting fellow. She hadn't really talked to him much, but he was definitely a one of a kind dude. Super weird, yet not in a bad way…

"Well, if you no longer require my services, I'm going to retire to my home."

Luna blinked a couple of times as Jim limped to the door. Yeah… Super weird…

"Oh, do you mind if Mollie and Stella wait here for their parents? I would say they could just wait in my house with me, but the temperature has dropped significantly and I would hate for them to slip on the ice…"

Lori stepped forward, giving him a nod. "Oh, yes. Of course they can wait here… Err… Would you like some help yourself"

Jim gave her his half smile, amusement in his eye. He lifted his cane, pointing it at Lori. He pressed a hidden button on top and a series of small spikes shot forward, surprising them. "Thank you deary, but I've lived in colder climates than this. I'm prepared for a bit of ice. Take care now, children…"

They all watched as Jim opened the door, giving them a small wave before leaving, closing it behind him. The more Luna saw of him, the more she was convinced he might be a few notes short of a symphony…

"Well… Now what?"

Luna turned her attention to Lynn, who was moving across the floor to Lucy. She wrapped an arm around her before turning to face her remaining sisters and the others.

Luna let out a sigh. It had been a long day, but it wasn't over yet. "Food. Lisa needs to eat, Luan needs to eat, quite frankly, I think we all need to eat. We haven't eaten since last night and I don't know about you, but I'm starving. While the food is cooking, the rest of us could move the rest of the furniture around for Lincoln. You know, set up around the couch for little Bro… Also, we still need to figure out how to get him upstairs when he needs to use the bathroom."

They all nodded and Lori stepped towards the kitchen. "First, the power needs to be rest. I just hope it's only a fuse. If Lynn and Lucy heat up the leftovers, the rest of you can start working. Remember, we do have all day tomorrow and the days that Lincoln will be recovering… Just try to think of some things that will make him comfortable and we can always do more when he gets home."

Again they nodded, watching Lori leave before Luna turned to look at Luan, moving to her. "Come on, you need to rest. No need to get sicker." Luan tried to argue, but Luna didn't even let her get a word out. "No, sorry Luan. You can't afford to get sicker and Lincoln can't afford to get sick. Besides, if you're sick, who will make Lincoln laugh?"

Luan let out a sigh, nodding. "Okay… For Lincoln."

Luna nodded, leading her to the arm chair. "Just have a seat, finish your tea and get better… And remember, I love you."

Luan shook her head as Luna gave her a hug, but couldn't help the smile that made it's way to her face. "I love you too… Fine I'll stay out of the way… For now. When I'm better, I'm not going to let Lincoln out of my sight."

Luna nodded, understanding. The thought of Lincoln getting… No. No more negative thoughts… Luna gave Luan a smile as she pulled out of the hug. She understood why she didn't just want to sit there, if she was in her place, Luna wouldn't either… "Don't worry Luan. Lincoln will be home soon and… And…"

Luna trailed off, realization hitting her like a bag of wool. It didn't hurt, but it was enough so she knew it was there… Luna sighed as a tear fell from her eye. "Soon… Soon, Lincoln will be home… And we can all hug him, talk to him… See him… Hear is beautiful voice… See his kind eyes… God, I can't wait…"

Luna had never wanted something so much in her life. If giving up her music forever meant she could see him a little sooner, she would before she could have been asked… She felt a hand on her's, making her look at Luan. She too had a tear streaming down her face, but she was smiling. Not the fake smile she adorned a bit over the last week, but a real, genuine smile. It was something Luna never wanted to disappear again.

"Yeah… Me neither…"

"CLICK"

Luan was cut off as the lights came back on, making them both jump. Luan shook her head, letting out a small chuckle. "Well, at least we can see now."

Luna nodded, looking towards the kitchen as the sound of Lori's footsteps moved up the basement stairs. "Yeah… Well, I should probably see if I can help with dinner. I would hate for Lisa to pass out from not eating enough… I still remember, once, when Lynn was young and didn't eat before a game, she passed out from low blood sugar…"

"HEY! I didn't pass out, I just collapsed and my vision went dark. There is a big difference!"

Luna smiled, turning to look at the mildly annoyed Lynn. "Dude, dad had to carry you off of the field. You didn't open your eyes until we were half way to the hospital."

Lynn frowned, making the rest of the room chuckle in amusement.

"Whatever… If I remember correctly, little Lincoln was the first to me. I only kept my eyes shut because I was tired. If he hadn't freaked out, I would have never had to leave… Though… it was really sweet of him… He has always been a great little brother…"

Luna and the others stopped laughing, giving Lynn a serious look. She was obviously upset. "Sorry Dude… I don't mean to make your mood drop…"

Lynn shook her head, looking up at Luna, giving her a small smile. "I'm not really that upset… I mean, I just miss Lincoln… That's one of my favorite memories. Lincoln and I were so close back then… I always had his back and he always had mine… When he gets home, I'm going to make sure we go back to that… I mean, not that I don't have his back and we all know he has all of ours, I just mean that I want to… You know… Make things like they were. I miss playing games and sparing with him, but I want to try to do more things he likes… I want to see if we can find things that we both like to do…"

Luna sighed, nodding. Lynn was trying so hard to be there for Lincoln when he gets out of the hospital… She just hoped Lynn would remember to take care of herself... "I understand… I really do. Just remember that Lincoln loves you for you and he won't want you to change too much. Just be yourself and let him know how much you love him. I know he will be happy."

Lynn sigh, looking down at the floor, frowning. "But what if he… No, you're right… I just don't want to mess up our relationship again… Sorry… I'm just nervous and tired… I'm going to go see what we have for food… You coming Luce?"

Luna watched as Lynn and Lucy headed for the kitchen. She wanted to go with them, to continue their conversation… But decided that she would just have to talk to her later. After all, they all had a lot on their minds right now. Lynn was probably just nervous like she said.

"Alright guys, now that we can see, let's get the larger pieces of furniture moved around and… Wait… did something happen while I was gone? You guys were just so happy…"

Luna let out a tired sigh, turning to look at Lori. "No, just some nerves about Lincoln's return. I think Lynn is just worried about him and if she's, you know… going to screw something up. I want to tell her not to worry, but I don't want to upset her more."

Lori nodded, looking back towards the kitchen. "Oh… Okay. How about I talk to her? I know a little bit more about how she's feeling since I was with her when she saw Jim the other day. Why don't you and the others work on the living room until diner is ready and then relax? It's been a really long day and we do have all day tomorrow to work."

Luna slowly nodded, letting out a sigh. She couldn't disagree about it being a long day… But she also really wanted to check up on Lynn… Then again, Lori was a lot better with these kinds of things than her… it was times like these that Luna wished she wasn't always so damn laid back. She wished she could help her little sisters… "Yeah… Okay. Just let me know if I can help."

Lori nodded, turning for the kitchen. "Always. Thanks for letting me know. Lynn has come so far. The last thing she needs is to get overwhelmed with her thoughts again."

Luna sighed, watching as Lori disappeared back into the kitchen. Yeah… That was not a good night… At least Lynn hadn't had another nightmare…

"Hey Lunes, you okay?"

Luna looked to her left, feeling an arm wrap around her. She came face to face with Sam, who was giving her a kind smile. She felt a lot better now… "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just getting used to the fact that Lincoln is going to be waking up soon… A lot sooner than I thought… I get why Lynn is nervous."

Sam nodded, looking around the room. "I understand and it's okay to be nervous. Just know, I'll be here for you, for as long as you need me."

Luna smiled, pressing her face into Sam's neck. "Thanks… And… I'll always need you."

"Awe, that is like, totes adorable. I like, can't wait to make your wedding dresses."

Luna tensed, her face heating up. "Leni, it is way too early to be thinking about a wedding. We've only been dating for a few months and we are only fifteen… Well, I'm fifteen, she's sixteen… Regardless, we aren't getting married."

"Not right now anyway, but as soon as I get the chance, she is mine…"

Luna pulled away from Sam, her face burning. "Wow now, I thought we decided we were going to wait till after collage… I mean, not that I don't want to get married sooner, I just want to make sure we have a solid foundation to live on…"

Sam grinned, leaning in towards Luna's face. "Sounds like a plan. That way, when we adopt our first baby, we can spend more time with them…"

"Oh my god, this is the cutest thing I have ever seen…"

Luna and Sam turned, looking at Stella, making her cover her mouth. "Sorry, I'll just… Err… Sorry…"

Luna gave her an awkward smile, feeling the other's eyes on her. "Don't worry about it… It's, err… It's fine, really…"

Sam started to chuckle, making her burn hotter. "Well, let's get to work. We can finish this awkward conversation any other day than today. Where should we start? How about if we move the couch and coffee table to this front corner? That way, the living room won't be over crowded and it will give us room to set up a… What about a blanket fort? Do you think Lincoln would like that? It would give him privacy and it would play into his creative side. He can use the coffee table for his comics and computer. We can set up a light and…"

Sam wrapped her arms around Luna, tipping her backwards as she planted a very passionate kiss on her lips, taking her by surprise. Luna looked up at her, her eyes wide. Sure they kissed a few times, but Sam had never kissed her like that… Man she was lucky…

"AW…!"

Luna ignored her sisters and Lincoln's friends. Sam was her's… Man she was lucky to have her. The most beautiful, most talented, most loveably person she had ever met… And soon, once Lincoln was home, everything would be perfect…

"Hey, hey… Now that's my girl."

Both Luna's and Sam's eyes widened and they quickly pulled away, turning to look at Luna's father. Sam nearly lost her grip, making Luna bring her hands to grab her arm. "DAD!"

Everyone else burst out laughing, making Luna frown. "It's not funny, he almost made me fall."

Sam looked down at Luna, giving her a small smile. "I wouldn't let you fall… Or would I?" Luna watched as Sam's eyes filled with mischief, making her narrow her eyes. "Don't you dare…" Sam's smile grew and she winked at her. "Sam… SAM!"

Sam let her go, making Luna's hands slid down her arm. Just as Luna though she was going to lose her grip, Sam grabbed her hands, stopping her fall. "I'm just messing around. I would never let you fall."

Sam pulled Luna to her feet and when she was standing straight, she gave Sam an annoyed look. "Why did you do that?"

Luna frowned, hearing the others continue to laugh… It wasn't funny…

"Because when you get annoyed, your face gets all cute and your eye brows furrow… It's so cute…"

Luna sighed. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad… Sam did catch her after all… And it was nice to think about something fun for a while… Luna looked up at the amused Sam… And there would be nothing more fun then a little revenge before they got to work on setting up for Lincoln…

A smile slowly crept up Luna's face. When Sam noticed, her eyes grew confused and she stopped laughing. "What?" Luna didn't reply, she just leaned into Sam, bringing her face up to her's. Sam looked confused, but when Luna gave her a quick kiss on the nose, she let her guard down… Perfect…

As soon as Sam's arms moved to hug her, Luna attacked, bringing her hands to Sam's sides. When Sam realized what Luan was doing, her eyes widened in horror. She tried to step back, but she tripped, falling on her butt. "NO….! Don't you dare. We talked about this Luna…"

Luna refused to listen, running her fingers down Sam's sides, making her shudder. "Luna… S..stooop…. LUNA…! NO!... Don't, that tickles…"

Luna grinned, starting to laugh as she tickled her without mercy. Sam tried to fight her off, trying to hold back her own laughter. "No… Please… No more… Please, I'm begging you…"

Luna continued to ignore her, becoming ruthless and moving up under her arms. Sam started to squeeze her arms to her sides, rolling back and forth, laughing like crazy. "No… Please, I'm going to pee… Please stop…"

Luna sighed, plopping down on top of Sam. "Fine, I'm tired anyway." Sam continued to giggle, keeping her arms tight to herself. "I'm not surprised. It's been a long day."

Luna nodded, tilting her head to look up at Sam, making eye contact. Man her eyes were pretty… "Yeah, it has… But that's okay. Luan is home, Lincoln is coming home and I have you here… Thanks for staying with me. I really appreciate it. I feel really stupid for not calling you before yesterday and it means a lot that you are still here and that you want to help."

Sam smiled at her, moving her hands to hug Luna. "Of course you silly Dork, I'll always come when you need me."

Luna sighed, resting her head on Sam's chest, looking up at her. She felt happy for the first time in days. Things were looking up. It was nice. Of course, things were far from perfect and she knew that it would take a while for things to settle and nothing would ever be the same… But as long as she had Sam and her family, even if they were a little bit broken, she would be fine… And when Lincoln comes home… Well, she didn't know what would happen. She just knew she was going to be there for him, just like the others. Just like how they had all been there for her, just like how Sam had been there for her… And just like how Lincoln had always been there for her…

* * *

Lucy sighed from where she stood in the doorway, watching as Luna and Sam stood from the floor, gathering the others to get started on setting things up for Lincoln. It was… Nice, seeing her sisters and their friends having fun.

It was rather relieving to see it. Despite her attraction to the dark and spooky aspects of the world, she was up for welcoming something light and pleasant. It was a lot better now that she didn't have to worry about Lincoln as much… She still couldn't believe that Lisa finished the legs… She was going to make sure she gave her a hug later. They all owed her so much…

"Hey Spooky, yeah going to come and help us?"

Lucy sighed, turning to face Lynn and Lori. They were standing in front of the refrigerator, pulling out what remaining leftovers they could find. There really wasn't much. It had been a while since they had a proper meal made…

"Why don't we just make something new? There isn't enough here to feed fifteen people. Why not just make something simple that everyone likes? Like pasta."

Lynn and Lori gave Lucy a surprised look, making her feel awkward. "Did I say something dumb?"

Lori shook her head, looking at the leftovers. "No, just surprised us that's all. It's a really good idea… Not to say you don't usually have good ideas, it's just I'm surprised we didn't think of that… Thanks. And yeah, pasta would literally be the best tonight. What do you think Lynn?"

Lucy and Lori turned to look at the thoughtful Lynn. "Well… I did see some ground beef… And we do still have some of Dad's mac and cheese bites… There is a bit of mozzarella and some parmesan… And if we cut up the mac and Cheese bites and put them into the pasta… Yeah, that would work. Should we just make something like a goulash or turn the beef into meat balls… please say yes to meat balls, it's been so long…"

Lucy couldn't help the small line of a smile that touched her lips… Lynn and her meat balls. "Meat balls sound good to me, that is as long as you don't make them spicy."

Lynn nodded, looking at Lori. "What do you say? I'm good if they aren't spicy. No need to get heart burn, right?… Please?"

Lori sighed, pulling out the ground beef. "I don't know… Do we have any bread crumbs? I do think the rest of the mac and cheese bites would be good inside… Yeah, I guess if they aren't spicy and you can find the ingredients to make them, we can have meat balls."

Lynn punched the air, letting out a satisfied cry. "Yeah! Man, it's been too long. I would rather have spicy, but normal is great too. Lucy, this was a great idea."

Lucy sighed, walking over to join her older sisters… It was nice to be appreciated, even if it was for a simple idea… and she had to admit, when they weren't spicy, Lynn made some killer meat balls… this might be fun…

"Okay Luce, if you start cutting up the cheese bites, along with some onions, garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes, and if Lori starts cooking the pasta, also we could make garlic toast, so if she can do that, I'll make the meat balls and cook them. Does that sound good?"

Lucy nodded, walking over to grab a cutting board and a knife. This was fun. She had never really cooked anything like this before… it was nice. She liked how this was going…

She walked to the counter, setting her things down. She them moved for the counter next to the fridge, gathering the things Lori had set out for her. Normally she only cooked things like liver and blood pudding. Those were fun and all, but this was better. She actually got to be with her sisters.

Lucy walked back to her cutting board, setting her arm load down. She started with the mushrooms, slicing them, then halving the slices. She liked mushrooms. Not only were they a fungus, which eat dead things, but they were really pretty.

After cutting them, she moved onto garlic. A lot of people are often surprised when they learn that she really liked garlic. They usually think she wouldn't because vampires don't like it, but as long as it wasn't raw and it was in something, she liked it.

"Hey, great work Lucy. You are really good with a knife."

Lucy nodded, finely dicing the garlic. "Yeah, I cook a lot of weird tasting things, so I have learned how to make them taste good. You would be surprised how good some of them can be. Like liver and mushrooms. Dad even taught me how to make a red wine vinegar sauce that looks like blood, but tastes really good."

"Wow, maybe you could make some for me to try, eh Luce? I bet you could even get Lincoln to try it while he's getting better. I mean, he likes Sauerkraut and Peanut butter sandwiches…"

Lucy nodded, pausing to look at Lynn. "I like that idea... I think you would both like it."

Lynn gave her a thoughtful smile. "Okay… You know, I've been thinking of ways to hang out with Lincoln while he recovers and I want to see if he wants to teach me to bake. I was hoping he could teach me how to make those amazing muffins he makes. Maybe you could join if he says yes."

Lucy tilted her head, peering through her hair. "You want me to join you guys?"

Lynn nodded, moving a hand to gently pat her back. "Yeah, I think it would be fun… Like this. We should do this more often. You, me, Lori or someone else. I like this. I'm having fun, what about you?"

Lucy turned back to her cutting board, setting down her knife. "Yeah… Me too… _Sniffle…_ I really like this… I've always wanted this…"

Lucy felt Lynn's lean over her, looking at her. "Lucy? Is something wrong? Why are you crying, you haven't started to cut the onions yet… You didn't get cut did you?"

Lucy shook her head, turning around to face Lynn, wrapping her arms around her. "No… I'm just happy that we are doing something together and we are both having fun… I've always wanted to do this… you know, hang out with you. I know we are around each other the most out of the sisters, but we don't really do anything… I really don't want this to be a onetime thing…" Please…

* * *

Lynn looked down at Lucy in surprise. She had never seen her open up this much. Well, other than with her Princess Pony books, but this was different. This was very different. Lynn wasn't sure how to react. Lucy really wanted this and well… So did she.

"Wow Lucy, I didn't realize how much you wanted to hang out like this. I'm sorry I didn't realize this before. I'll tell you what, even if Lincoln doesn't feel up to baking or cooking with us, we can cook together. Even if it's making your odd foods, okay? We might not get to do this all the time, but I think it would be fun."

Lucy nodded, turning her head up. Here eyes were just visible behind her hair and Lynn could see tears running down her face. "Really? You want to? I mean, if you really don't want to, then we don't have to."

Lynn gave her a smile, bringing a hand up to wipe Lucy's cheeks. "Of course. Why wouldn't I want to do this? It might only be food, but it's pretty fun… Also, It's food. As long as we get to make meat balls every once and a while, you can count me in."

"Hey, what about me? Do I not get to join in the fun?"

Lynn spun to face the amused Lori, turning Lucy with her. "Well, I'm okay with it as long as Lucy is. What do you say Luce? Should we let our dear older sister ruin our fun?"

Lucy looked at Lori, hesitating for a while before answering, making Lynn start laughing when Lori's mouth dropped a little, looking hurt.

"I don't know… She might eat it all…"

Lynn started to laugh harder as Lori crossed her arms, looking down at Lucy. Lucy didn't react, just staring back.

"I guess she could join… We do need a dish washer after all…"

Lori blinked at Lucy a few times, looking lost for words. Lucy lost it. It started as a low, slightly sarcastic chuckle, but it quickly built, becoming rather hearty and playful. "I'm kidding. I would love for you to join. We barely do anything together."

Lynn nodded, giving Lucy a fond hair ruffle, making her grumble. "Maybe if more of us want to do it, Lincoln would be more open to the idea. After all, it would mean less contest to get time with Lincoln, putting way less pressure on him… Man… I can't believe this is finally happening… I know it's only been a week… but it feels like it's been months… Time really moves slowly when bad things happen. Hopefully if we can keep ourselves and Lincoln busy, time will pass faster and he'll heal faster… I can't wait for him to walk again. I wonder if I can get him to dance with me…?"

Lynn felt her face heat up and she turned away, heading back to the counter next to the stove. "Well, these meat balls won't make themselves. Keep up the great work Luce. How's the garlic toast coming Lori?"

* * *

Lori looked at Lynn in surprise. "Dance? Since when do you dance?"

She watched as Lynn stiffened, bending down to finish mixing up the meat ball mix. "I will have you know that dancing is one of the hardest work outs. There is nothing wrong with it… Just forget I said anything… Please…"

Lori sighed, setting her garlic butter mixture down. She headed for Lynn, stopping behind her. It was very obvious that Lynn was trying to ignore her. "Lynn, I never said it wasn't a great work out, I just never pictured you as someone that likes to dance. How come I've never seen you dance."

Lynn stiffened as Lori placed her hand on her shoulder. "Why wouldn't I dance? Is it because I'm not the girliest? I like some of those kinds of things. I like a few girly things. I'm not just a tom boy you know."

Lori sighed, bringing her hand up to comb her fingers through Lynn's hair. "Lynn, I know. There isn't anything wrong with dancing, I love to dance. I just wish you would tell us about these kinds of things… So… What kind of dancing do you like?"

Lynn sighed, slowly relaxing as Lori continued to comb her hair… Lori was going to give her one of her spare brushes…

Lynn started to go back to work, hesitant to answer. "Well… Really I like more kinds of dancing… Well, other than that weird stuff that older girls do with their butts… That makes me really uncomfortable… I like to swing dance… Um… I like some slow dancing as long as it isn't too slow or boring. I like free style dancing. Oh, I once learned all of the choreography for Michael Jackson's Billy Jean."

Lori stopped combing Lynn's hair, cutting her off. "Show me."

Lynn stiffened again, looking really nervous. "I don't know… It's been a while and I've never dance in front of people before…"

Lori leaned her head into Lynn's ear, whispering. "Lynn, if you do the moonwalk into the living room and back, telling them that dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes, I will give you twenty bucks and a large bar of Godiva chocolate."

Lynn's head shot back and she gave Lori a wide eyes look. "Godiva? Where did you get that? How did you get that? It's really expensive.

Lori gave her a grin, reaching into her pocket, pulling out a folded twenty. "Bobby bought me a bunch of it and I have a few left that I was saving. I think it's a great trade, don't you?" Lori held the money in front of Lynn, waving it back and forth. Lynn's head moved in time with it, her eyes glued on the money. "How big of a bar are we talking?"

Lori's grin grew. "Bigger than a Hershey's bar." Lynn licked her lips and Lori swore she saw a little drewl.

"Deal, give me that money and that bar and I'll moon walk to the front door and back. Oh, and I'll tell them about diner."

Lori gave her a satisfied back pat. "Do a couple of spins and I'll throw in another five bucks the next time I get paid."

Lynn nodded, a giant smile growing on her face. "Deal… Step back and let the master work." Lori nodded, standing back. Lynn took a couple of breathes, looking both super nervous and very determined. "Okay… Here we go."

Lori bit her lip as Lynn started to slid backwards. She started a bit slow and jittery, but quickly got into the grove of things, making Lori grin. She was pretty good… And then Lynn slid past Lucy, doing a quick spin, followed by a perfect Michael Jackson leg kick, making Lucy give her a wide eyes stare. She even moved her hair from her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

As Lynn continued around the kitchen, both Lori and Lynn started to grin widely, having to stifle laughter as Lynn made her way to the door way. Wouldn't want to alert the others after all…

"Hee Hee…"

Lori lost it as Lynn cried out, passing through the door. She started laughing so hard she doubled over, nearly falling to the floor. After fighting her laughter enough to stand, she and Lucy dashed to the doorway, watching Lynn as she slid back between the confused and amazed group.

Lynn did a fast spin, spinning several times once she reached the door, now facing the door and started her way back. Once she got to the point where she was facing her family and their friends, she paused for a moment, standing straight, giving them a dead serious look. "Diner will be ready in fifteen minutes."

And with that she headed back to the uncontrollably laughing Lori and the gasping Lucy who was rolling on the floor with laughter.

As Lynn reentered the kitchen, she rounded the corner, disappearing from the view of her frozen audience. A few seconds later, they all started to clap, making Lori laugh even harder. "Lynn, that has to be by far the greatest thing I have ever seen. You have to show that to Lincoln when he gets home. I know he will love it."

Lynn stopped at the table, turning to look at Lori, panting lightly. "Really? You think? I mean, it was pretty funny, but it wasn't anything special."

Lori nodded, continuing to grin as she walked up to Lynn. "Yes. Lynn, I would watch that over and over. Really, I know Lincoln would get a kick out of it."

Lynn sighed, giving Lori a thoughtful look. "Yeah… Okay, I'll do it. I mean, I would rather he sees it from me, rather than have one of you guys ruin my badass skills by telling him."

"Language…"

Lori and Lynn spun in surprise, seeing their father walking into the room, grinning madly. Lynn slouched, looking at the floor. "Sorry dad…"

He gave her a nod, shrugging it off. "It's okay, I'll let it slide… As long as you teach me how to do that. Even Luna wants to learn. That was really something. Very surprising, but it was fantastic."

Lynn looked up at him, looking surprised. "Wait… Really? You want me to teach you?"

He nodded, stepping up to her, wrapping his arm around her. "Heck yeah! I've tried to learn to dance for years and all of my teachers have sucked. Really expensive too… Where did you even learn that?"

Lynn nervously scratched her arm, so Lori slid next to her, casually handing her the money. She took it, giving Lori a grin before she turned back to their father. "I taught myself. I love to dance, I've just... never got the chance to do it out in the open before… And I was pretty nervous… But Lori convinced me that I should just do it… Thanks Lori…"

Lori smiled, moving back to her garlic butter, stepping over the still giggling Lucy… that was definitely new… And super cute…

Lori looked at her butter and sighed, giving it an amused smile. Guess she needed to start over… It was burnt… All well. Seeing Lynn having fun like that and opening up a little was certainly worth it… And the money and the chocolate… Sorry Bobby… Oh… Lori's eye widened a little. She was going to have to call them and let them know what was going on… Ronnie would probably flip for joy when she hears that her best friend is going to wake up. Quite frankly, Lori wanted to do one…

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please, feel free to tell me what you think and as always, have a good one. ^_^**


	14. Chapter 14

The day had been as fulfilling and satisfying as it was long and stressful. It started early in the morning with both Mr. and Mrs. Loud getting up early to leave for work, despite wanting to stay and help set up for the quickly ensuing arrival of Lincoln… But they had no choice. Medical bills had to get paid, children needed to get fed and despite how stressful it was to leave that morning, they could find a small amount of satisfaction knowing that they could take off both tomorrow and Tuesday to help Lincoln adjust.

Not long after they left for work, the Loud children began to wake. Lori was the first, soon followed by Leni, who Lori sent off to wake the others, though that wasn't much of task as they all slept in the living room in hopes of getting an early start to their day.

While Leni woke the others, Lori went off to the kitchen, making breakfast sandwiches for their first meal of the day, wanting to start it off well fed and well energized, as they had a long list of things to do.

After everyone had eaten, showered and dressed, they got to work, not wanting to waste any of their time. It started off with simple tasks, such as moving the TV stand in front of the couch that had been moved to the corner wall farthest left of the front door the night before.

They then split into three groups. The first, made up of Lori, Luna, Sam and Luan, (who was allowed to help as long as she thoroughly washed her hands, wore gloves and a mask), started to tack up sheets and thin blankets around the couch and TV stand, creating a blanket fort of sorts that would give Lincoln a space of his own, for when he wanted privacy.

The second group was made up of Lynn, Lucy and Lola. They were tasked with collecting everything that Lincoln might need to keep him from getting bored or uncomfortable. These items ranged from comics to video games and his phone and computer, to things such as his clothes, his blankets and pillows.

The third and final group, made up of Leni, Lana and Lisa, were tasked with the more technical tasks, such as setting up a ramp to get Lincoln into the house, which they made from some wood that they got from the surprisingly helpful Mr. Grouse. They also set up a rising platform that was like an elevator mixed with an escalator, which would be used for Lincoln to ascend the stairs for when he would need to use the bathroom. While parts were much harder to find for this task, they had decided to use parts from the lawn mower and a few sheets of metal that would have been used to fix the van.

By the time they were finished with these tasks, they were all tired and surprisingly sore. But it was worth it. Lincoln would need these things to keep him comfortable and relaxed till he healed, and while there were other thing that he could possibly need when he finally came home, the girls could worry about that when the time came.

For now, they were finished and they could finally relax a little for the first time in days. Not wanting to mess up what they just finished, they all sat either on the floor to talk amongst themselves or in the case of Luan, sit in the arm chair to have a nap, which was quite frankly, well deserved.

While Luan slept, the girls started to discuss a few things, starting off with Lynn asking a simple question.

"So… What now?"

The girls all looked at one another, giving each other the same, thoughtful look. Truth be told, none of them were really sure. They had a plan, they executed the plan to the best of their abilities and now, all that there was to do, was to wait…

"I don't have a clue. I literally thought this would have taken a lot longer to do… But we did everything… Well, at least for now. I mean, there will be tons more to do once Lincoln is home, but until then… I just don't know…"

Everyone sighed as Lori spoke. It was true… They really didn't have anything more that they could do… It was weird. They had all been so busy dealing with their emotions over the last few days, running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads chopped off and then having finished working on the living room, that now that they were finished, they weren't really sure what to do.

They were of course still dealing with said emotional issues and would be for quite some time, as there were a great many things to worry about. Such as how would Lincoln's surgery go? Or how would he react once he awoke? Would he still be in pain? Would he be scared? Would he be angry?

"Dudes, if I don't find something to do, I'm going to go insane. Are you sure there isn't something more we can do?"

Everyone turned to look at Luna, giving her a small nod of agreement. If they didn't find something to occupy their thoughts pretty soon, they were going to drive themselves crazy with worry.

"Luna's right, we can't just sit here and wait. Maybe we could…"

"_Ring… Ring…"_

Lynn was cut off as the house phone started to ring. As Lori got up from the floor, the girls all watched her headed over to answer it. She was a bit hesitant. It seemed that every time someone called them on the house phone, it was to tell them something bad was happening to Lincoln… They all waited nervously as she answered it…

"Hello? Sorry, who is this? Oh, okay… Yeah… Don't worry about it Rusty… Yeah, he is… Hopefully tomorrow… Yeah, it's fine if you tell them… No, I can call them and let them know... I'm sure he would be fine with you coming over to visit. Don't worry, we will let you all know when he's home and ready for visitors… No problem… Okay, have a good afternoon… Bye..."

Lori ended the call and hung up, pausing for a moment before turning to face the others. "As I'm sure you probably realized, that was Rusty. He called to see how Lincoln is doing. Apparently Molly and Stella have told a few of Lincoln's friends that he will hopefully be waking tomorrow and he wanted to find out if it was true. I told him that it was true. He said that he, Mollie and Stella have told most of their friends, but couldn't get a hold of Clyde… This has given me an idea."

Lori paused as she moved back to where the others were sitting, retaking her spot on the floor before continuing. "Some of Lincoln's friends know what's going on, but I think the others have the right to know as well. We wanted something to do and I think this is the best course of action. If we split up, we can call everyone before tomorrow… What do you guys think?"

Everyone gave Lori a thoughtful look, rolling over what she had just told them. A few of them opened their mouths to reply, but it was Luan who spoke first, startling them, as they hadn't realized that she had awoke.

"I for one think it's a good idea. Not only will the rest of Lincoln's friends need to know, but so will our family. I know Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran will be thrilled to hear, Clyde and Ronnie will probably both flip with joy and Aunt Ruth… Well, I'm sure she will be happy to know Lincoln will be fine too… So, how do you want us to do this?"

Lori sighed as everyone turned back to her and she took a moment to rub her sore, bruised neck, taking the moment to collect her thoughts. "Well, I think it would be best to split up to make this go smoother. I would hate to forget anyone. So… Luna, you should call Clyde and his dads… From what I know, you have a pretty good working relationship with them… Luan, you can call Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran. You would be the best with lightening their mood… Lynn, you and Lucy can call Aunt Ruth. You aren't one to take any crap, so I think you are most apt to get through to her… Umm… Leni, if you make a social media post, it will help spread the word to other people that want to know how he's doing… And I guess that leaves Ronnie Anne, Bobby and their family to me… Dang it, I've been saying I need to call them for days…"

Everyone gave Lori a nod, starting to get up from the floor to go off to make their calls.

"Umm, what about us? What can we do?"

They all turned to look at the expectant Lola and Lana, who were standing with the relatively indifferent looking Lisa. Lori walked up to them, kneeling down to their level. "Sorry guys, but you can't help with this part… Oh, hey, I know, why don't you three look after Lily while we are busy? You guys can watch TV too. Maybe later on, Lynn, Lucy and I can make cookies as a nice little treat. Does that sounds like a good idea?"

Lola and Lana nodded, giving Lori slightly excited smiles. "Yeah, that sounds great. Don't worry about us, we will keep an eye on Lily for you."

Lori smiled at them, wrapping her arms around them and the slightly uncomfortable Lisa. "Thanks guys… I'm so proud of you three. You have been on your best behavior since Lincoln has been in the hospital and I promise, as soon as things start getting a little bit less complicated, I'll have to take you guys somewhere special. Maybe I'll take just the three of you to the Burbin Burger. Would you like that?"

Lola and Lana nodded, making Lori give Lisa a slightly confused look. "What about you Lisa? You love Burpin Burger…"

Lisa hesitantly nodded, avoiding Lori's gaze. "Can Lincoln come with us?"

Everyone felt their heartstrings tighten... Lisa wasn't known for her emotional attachments or signs of sentiment… But no one could deny that she, like all of the Loud sisters, Loved Lincoln with all of her heart…

Lisa looked at her out of the corner of her eyes and Lori gave her a small smile and a nod. "Of course we can. We'll have to wait for Lincoln to be ready to leave the house, but yes, we can take him. I'm sure Lincoln would love to spend some alone time with three of his favorite people."

The three young girls nodded, hugging Lori back before they all let go and the younglings took off to go watch Lily.

Lori turned back to the waiting girls, letting out a sigh. "You all ready to get started?"

They all simply nodded before taking off, leaving Lori standing in the living room with Luan, who was still sitting in her chair. Lori was about to go off to her room, when she noticed that Luan looked rather… nervous.

"Hey, you okay?"

Luan jumped, seemingly startled as if she had just been in deep thought. She looked up at Lori, letting out sigh. "Yeah, I'm fine… It's just… Well, I'm a little worried about Pop Pop… I know he's a strong man and all, and he already knows about Lincoln being in the hospital… But Lincoln is… Well, quite frankly I think we all know that Lincoln is his favorite. Lincoln's everyone's favorite. He's his mini me… And I'm just worried about how he's handling this whole thing… I know it's dumb to worry so much… but I can't help it…"

Lori stepped up to her, kneeling down next to the chair before she took Luan's hand. "Luan… I completely understand what you mean. I'm actually super nervous about talking with Bobby and Ronnie… But it needs to get done. I asked you to talk to Pop-Pop because I know you can do it. You are smart and strong willed… It's not going to be easy, but just keep in mind how happy he is going to be to learn that his only grandson is going to be waking soon."

Luan slowly nodded, letting out a tired sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, this is good news… There is nothing to worry about…"

Luan gave Lori a small smile and in response, Lori gave Luan a hug. "I'm super proud of you as well, Luan. You have had such a hard time with whole thing and yet, here you are. I know you still don't feel very well, but you managed to think of a way to help our little brother without the risk of him getting sick… And now here you are, getting ready to help our grandfather find a little bit of emotional relief… You should be just as proud of yourself as I am of you. I also want you to know that I love you and if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you…"

Luan sighed as she returned the hug, trying not to let the sight of the bruise on Lori's neck get her mood to drop. "Thanks Lori… That actually makes me feel a lot better… and I love you too … You know, you're a great big sister…"

Lori smiled, giving Luan's back a small pat before pulling away. "Thanks, that means a lot to me… Well, I suppose I should go make my call… Oh, If you want, I can call Pop-Pop for you instead…"

Luan shook her head, making Lori's smile grow ever so slightly. "No, I can do it. Like we said, it's good news. There is nothing to worry about."

Lori gave her a nod before turning away from her, starting for the stairs. "Alright, well if you need me, don't be afraid to call out. Remember, you are still sick. It's okay to ask for help… Then again, you can ask whether you are sick or not… Just know, I'm here for you. We are all her for each other…"

* * *

Luan watched as Lori reached the top of the stairs before she pulled out her phone. She had gotten it earlier before her nap to call Benny to let him know what was going on… But she had fallen asleep before she could get that far… Perhaps she could call him first to help prepare herself for calling Pop-Pop…

Yeah… That sounded like a good idea…

She took her phone off of standby, put in her password and pulled up her contacts. She was still feeling a little bit nervous about calling Pop-Pop, though, Lori really had helped her feel more confident, but she figured putting it off just long enough to call her boyfriend would help her that much more…

She selected Benny's contact and called the number. It only took a few moments before Benny answered his side…

"Hello? Luan?"

Luan took a deep breath before replying, putting on a small smile. It was nice to hear his voice..

"Hey Benny, I just wanted to call and let you know something amazing… But first, I want to thank you for yesterday… It really means a lot to me that you were so willing to help."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I always love seeing you, though, I wish it was under happier terms, but regardless… Anyway, how are you feeling? You sounds quite a lot better."

Luan let out a small sigh, happy to hear that her breathing was still clear. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better. I actually woke from a short nap a little while ago and I think that helped a lot. My sisters really helped me last night and Lori made be several mugs of my favorite tea. I think I'll be all better in the next couple of days."

"That's great to hear! … So, what have you been up to since yesterday?"

Luan couldn't help the quickly growing smile that was making it's way up her face. "Well, that's actually way I called. Last night, after I got home, I was meeting with my family and our neighbor, who is, I guess our therapist now. We were talking about what was happening with me… Though, I still don't know what the heck happened yesterday… Anyway, Jim, our neighbor, was just about to tell me his diagnosis, when suddenly we heard a super loud noise. It kept getting louder and louder, until it suddenly stopped, along with the power going out… Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the noise was Lisa working on her most recent experiment… Which is a pair of new legs for Lincoln… Benny, she finished his new legs… Tomorrow is his surgery… Tomorrow, Lincoln is going to wake up… And in a few days, depending on how the surgery went, he's going to come home…"

The phone was silent for a few moments as Luan let Benny process what she had said… She hoped he understood what she was saying…

"Wow… Jeez Luan, that is fantastic news! You must be so happy and excited. Man, this is really great… You have to tell me how it goes, though, I'm sure it will go wonderfully. From what you've told me about Lincoln, he's a strong kid. He should heal up nicely… Wow… This is really exciting. I'm so happy for you and your family."

Luan was grinning ear to ear. The more Benny talked about it, the more optimistic Luan was feeling about the whole thing… It was at that moment that Luan realized that everything would be alright… It would take time and it wouldn't be easy… But as long as they were all there for each other, it would all be just fine…

"Thanks Benny… You have no idea how much I needed to hear that… Once our call is finished, I have to call Pop-Pop and tell him the news. I was super nervous about calling him… But now I feel a lot better… god, do I love you…"

"Ha-ha… Glad I could help. Well then, maybe we should end our call here. I don't want to keep you from making your next call… Not to say that I don't want to keep talking to you, because you can always call me back after and let me know how it went."

Luan nodded to herself, still smiling. "Okay… Yeah, you're right. I should do that… Thanks Benny, I will call you back in a while… I love you."

"Hmm… Okay. I love you too. Take care Luan and I'll talk to you later. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Benny…"

Luan sighed as the phone went dead. She felt… Lighter... And it was all thanks to Benny. Sure Lori helped her feel much better before the call… But now, she was ready to call Pop-Pop…

Luan pulled up her contacts once more, this time pulling up her grandfather's number. She hesitated for the slightest moments before shaking it off and pressing call. This was it. There was nothing to be afraid of. It was all great news…

"Hello?"

Luan's smile wavered… Pop-Pop sounded so tired… It hurt her heart to hear his voice…

"Hey Pop-Pop, it's me, Luan. I'm calling to give you some super fantastic news…"

There was a long pause before he replied. His voice was filled with pained hope… "Oh?"

Luan nodded to herself. This was it… "Yep. Last night, after a difficult time for all of us, we learned something amazing… Okay, so for the last week, Lisa has been working on a pair of new mechanical legs for Lincoln. At first I didn't think she could do it… But well… I was wrong and I couldn't be happier to be. Lisa finished the legs… And tomorrow, Lincoln is going to have surgery to have them attached to him… I don't really understand how it works… But what I do know is, once they are attached, Lincoln is going to wake up… Tomorrow, Lincoln is going to wake up and hopefully, as long as things go smoothly, Lincoln should be home before the end of the week."

This time the pause was much longer and for a moment, Luan was worried that the call had ended by accident… But then she heard something that she had never heard before in her life… Pop-Pop was crying…

It started out low and slow… But it soon filled the Luan's ears… But it wasn't a sad sob… it was a sob that spoke more that words could… and it made Luan start crying as well… It told her how much Pop-Pop loved Lincoln. It told her how much he loved his other grand children… It told her how much he loved her… It was full of memories. There was still filled with sadness… But it was over flowing with hope… With happiness… and the knowledge that Lincoln would be home and very soon he would…

The sobbing suddenly grew faint and it took Luan a couple of moments to realize that the phone had been pulled from Pop-Pop and soon she knew why…

"Hello? Luan? This is Gran-Gran… Albert had the call on speaker… I heard everything… _Sniffle…_I.. I'm very happy to hear that Lincoln is going to… Well, I'm happy that he is going to live. To be honest, I think Albert was losing hope… But now he knows the truth… I'm sorry dear, but I think it would be best to end the call. I don't think your grandfather is going to be able to talk for a while… I'm sure you understand… And Luan… Thank you. I don't think you quite understand what this means to your grandfather… No… I'm sure you very well know what this means… Thank you Luan… Thank you…"

The call ended… Luan slowly put her phone down… She looked up at the ceiling. She had to take a moment to process what she had just witnessed… She wasn't sure that she would ever stop crying… It had just been so…

"Luan…?"

Luan's eyes flouted downwards until they landed on the worried faces of Lola, Lana and Lisa… She completely forgot that they were in Lincoln's fort, watching TV…

"Yes?"

Lana looked at her little sisters for a moment before replying. "Are… Are you okay?"

Luan gave them a small smile, trying to get them to relax. "Yes, everything is just fine… I'll tell you all about it when You are older… I promise… everything is going to be just fine…"

* * *

Lynn sighed as she sat with Lucy on Lincoln's now bare mattress… It wasn't as comfortable now that his blankets weren't there, but it was still a place that brought Lynn great comfort… It probably always would…

"Lynn… Do we have to call her? Aunt Ruth kind of scares me…"

Lynn pulled herself out of her thoughts, turning her head to look at Lucy, giving her a nod. Lucy wasn't known as someone that was scared by much… But Lynn honestly couldn't blame her… Their Aunt was not the kind of person that was… Well, Lynn wasn't really sure what Aunt Ruth was… Though, she was scary…

"Yeah, sorry, we do. I know none of us like to talk to her… Or visit her… or see her… or think of her… or be related to her… But this is important. She is our family, whether we like it or not and she has the right to know how Lincoln is doing. She always seemed to like him just a little more than the rest of us, so really, how bad could this be? I'm sure this will be a short conversation…"

Lucy sighed, obviously coming to agreement with Lynn's words. "I understand... I still don't like her… But I understand… Let's just get this over with…"

Lynn nodded, pulling out her phone. She as well wasn't looking forward to this conversation… But she was family. Really, how bad could this actually be? Lynn suspected that no matter how bad of an Aunt, Ruth was or could be, she would have to be feeling sad about Lincoln's state… yeah, even she would be happy to know that Lincoln is going to be okay.

"Alright Luce…"

Lynn pulled out her phone, unlocking it. She paused for a moment, seeing a few messages from her team mates and her friends… It was a pleasant surprise for her to see that her friends were so worried for her and her family… She would have to talk to them after she was finished with this call… She could thank them for their kindness and patience… And most of all… She could apologize for the way she had been treating them…

Over the last few days, she had really had time to think about her actions and ways of life… She wasn't happy with it… She did still want to play sports, though it wouldn't be for a while, but when she did go back… She planed to changing a few things… She was still going to work as hard as she could for what she wanted and she wanted to be the best… But she also wanted to be the best sister she could be for Lincoln… She also wanted to change how she acted, whether she was playing or not. She was thirteen… it was about time she stopped acting like a child…

Lynn sighed as she pulled up her contacts. She felt a slight wave of… Relief. Things were changing, many of them for the better… But if she wasn't willing to change along with everything… Well, she would be left behind and it terrified her to think about how it would affect Lincoln or heck, even her sisters…

The phone started to ring and Lynn put it on speaker before giving Lucy a quick look, giving her a small smile. Lucy and herself had always had a certain connection… They could even consider themselves as two of the closest sisters… Sure they often argued and fought… but they were family. It was normal for them to do such things… And now, after everything that they had gone through and all that they would go through… Well, Lynn could say with great confidence that she had a new, greater respect for her little sister… Soon, her family would be whole again, or at least as whole as it was going to get… And she didn't want to ruin any of it… She wouldn't let anything ruin it…

"Hello? Who's this?"

Lynn sighed, feeling her throat grow ever so slightly dry. She wasn't a big fan of talking on the phone… It made her uneasy. She would rather say things face to face. It was a lot more sincere that way…

"Hey Aunt Ruth, it's Lynn Jr… I umm… I'm calling to tell you that we have some good news about Lincoln…"

"Oh?"

Lynn frowned. Aunt Ruth didn't sound very excited… Maybe she was just reading it wrong… Another reason that Lynn hated talking on the phone… It was even harder for her to read emotions…

"Err, yeah… Umm… Last night Lisa finished a pair of Mechanical legs for Lincoln… Tomorrow he's going to have surgery and we are going to wake him up… Hopefully by the end of the week, we can get him to come home…"

"Oh… Well then… That's good. I would hate for him to die. He's the only one who massages my feet right."

"…"

"…"

Lynn felt like she got hit by a train. Her mood dropped instantly and she looked at the phone like she didn't know what it was… Then she processed what it was that, that woman had just said…

"Excuse me…? Are you fucking kidding me? Lincoln just lost his legs, almost died, not to mention that there is still a chance that something bad will happen and you have the fucking audacity to say that you are glad that he didn't die only because he gives you the best foot massages? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I HOPE YOU DIE YOU OLD COW. YOU ARE A SELFISH DIRT BAG AND NOBODY EVEN LIKES YOU… I… I… I… Oh, forget it… I hope you get hit by a car and die. Nobody is going to come to your funeral and after they bury you beside the road, we are all going to forget that you even existed… Fuck you."

"EXCUSE ME? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW…"

"CLICK!"

Lynn ended the call and immediately deleted her aunt's number from her phone. She couldn't believe what she had just heard, much less said… It was… Too much for her… She dropped her phone, she pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed…

"Lynn? Lucy? What's going on?"

Lynn ignored the voice of her older sister. She couldn't bring herself to reply… She just couldn't believe what Ruth had said… It was just… So cruel… it made her heart hurt… it wasn't fair… Lincoln didn't deserve that… Lucy didn't deserve to hear that… Lynn didn't deserve to hear that…

"_Sniffle…_ Hey Luan… She's… Upset at Aunt Ruth… I'm upset at Aunt Ruth… She was… She said… It was just so…"

Lucy was cut off as Lynn's head shot up in anger.

"SHE IS A BITCH! SHE CAN BURN IN HELL, SHE CAN ROT IN A DITCH…. SHE CAN… SHE CAN…"

Lynn trailed off, sobbing as Luan ran to her, pulling both of her younger sisters into a hug. "Wow, wow, wow… Come on, it's okay… Just tell me what happened… It's all right… I promise, it's going to all be alright…"

* * *

Luna sat on her bed, leaning against Sam. They had just had an… Unpleasant sibling meeting just a few moments ago and well… it had been really stressful. What was supposed to have had been a nice, calm and rather happy phone call, had turned sour and hateful for poor Lynn and Lucy… Luna could only shake her head in anger just thinking about it… She didn't blame Lynn for swearing Ruth out… That jerk was a monster…

Luna felt so bad for Lynn… She might have been tough as nails… But when it came to Lincoln… Well, like her other sisters, she had a major soft spot… In Lynn's case, that spot was really soft… And Ruth couldn't have hurt her worse if she had stabbed her with a knife…

Luckily Luan had been there and had managed to calm her down… It could have been way worse… Rather than the sad, mess of the Lynn that was now laying on Lincoln's bed, sleeping, holding both Lucy and Bun-Bun… she could have been a fiery beast of vengeful hate… And Luna wasn't sure if she would feel bad if Lynn had run down Ruth and broke her legs… No, Luna was sure she wouldn't feel even the smallest sliver of pity for that old bag…

"Luna… Are you okay?"

Luan sighed, turning her head to look at the worried Sam. She really owed her so much… She had already out done everything that Luna could have wished for…

"No… Not at all… But I'm doing way better than Lynn… I can't wait for mom and dad to get home, so they can rip Ruth a new one…"

Sam reached her arms around Luna, locking them tight around her. "I don't know how you do it…"

Luna again turned her head, trying to look at Sam, but she had pressed her head into Luna's back, moving out of view. "Do what?"

Sam sighed, squeezing her arms ever so slightly. "This… Lincoln, Ruth, your sisters… I don't know how you can stay so strong… I know you keep saying that it's hard… But you make it look… Bearable… I'm sorry if I'm not helping your mood… but I can't help but to imagine what it would be like if it was my little brother that had been hurt… I couldn't bear the thought of Simon getting hurt this bad… I know I complain about him all the time… But I… _Sniffle…_ I really do love him… And seeing you hurting this much because of Lincoln and because your aunt is so heartless… It just breaks my heart even more… I'm sorry… It's just that I Love you so much that it's unbearable for me to see you and your family this way… I wish I could do more to help…"

Luna's heart did a flip. It was an odd feeling. On one hand, she was devastated because her Aunt had been so mean to Lynn… But on the other, she was immeasurably touched by Sam's words… She had been so focused on her own feelings of sadness that she hadn't even noticed that the stress of the situation had been weighing on Sam… So much so that it had brought her to tears… It wasn't fair… Just when things seems to be starting to get better, someone had to ruin it…

No.

Luna wasn't going to have that. She would help Sam, she would call Clyde and tell him and his dads the good news and then she was going to help her sisters…

"Sam… Do you want to go home?"

She felt Sam stiffen against her, making her sigh.

"What? No, I want to stay her and help you."

"Sam… It's okay if you want to spend some time with Simon. You've been here for days and I love you more than you could ever know because of it… I really do understand if you want to leave. I promise, I wouldn't be offended at all. My family can be crazy, everyone knows this… But Ruth… Well, that was something I don't think anyone could have predicted…"

Sam shook her head against Luna's back. She could feel her tears soaking through her shirt…

"No, really. I want to stay and help… I just need to call my brother and tell him that I love him… I want to stay with you until Lincoln is home. Someone has to keep you in check until then… Please, don't make me leave…"

Luna sighed, turning around to face Sam, pulling her into her arms. Sam had been here for her for so long… Now it was time to start returning the favor… "Sam, I would never make you do something that you don't want to do… But I also don't want you to do something that you don't want to do because you love me…"

Sam looked up at her, tears streaming down her face. "No, Luna, I'm not staying because I'm forcing myself to… I'm staying because I love you. I really do want to help. I love your family. Since I've been here, they have started to feel like a second family to me and I want to see this through…"

Luna tried to wipe away her own tears, but it wasn't any use… Instead, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Sam. In response, Sam wrapped her arms around Luna… Together they just sat there, embracing each other for several minutes as they found comfort in each other's arms…

When they finally had their tears under control, they pulled away, giving each other knowing looks… It was going to be okay… Because they had each other… And they always would…

Luna let out a sigh as she lifted her hand to Sam's face, wiping her damp cheeks before giving her a quick kiss. "Thanks for being here Sam… I don't know what I would have done without you and it really means a lot to me that you've stuck with me throughout these last few days… And if you don't mind sticking with me till Lincoln's home…"

Sam cut Luna off with a kiss. "Of course I don't. You and your family mean a lot to me… Besides, you can't play Smooch without your back up guitarist, now can you?"

Luna couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips. Sam always knew just what to say to help her feel better… "Heh heh… No… I guess I can't…"

Luna leaned forward, hugging Sam once more. "God do I love you. How did I end up so lucky?"

Sam let out a chuckle, bringing her hand to pat Luna's back. "That's easy… It was because you are so damn cute… And you have a nice butt…"

Luna felt her face burn as Sam burst out laughing. She had to admit, she hadn't expected that kind of response…

"Alright, enough moping. As much as I love cuddling with you and teasing you, you still need to call the McBrides. At this rate, Lincoln will be home and walking before Clyde even knows what's going on."

Luna gave her a surprised look, raising a brow. "But I thought you wanted to call Simon?"

Sam just shrugged, giving her a gentle smile. "I do and I will… But I can do that later. The McBrides need to know now. Don't worry, Simon can wait. Besides, that dork is probably just sitting around, playing one of his games."

Luna sighed, giving her a small nod as she pulled out her phone. She was right. She needed to call them and let them know what's going on. After all, it's the right thing to do, as Clyde was Lincoln's first and best friend.

She took her phone off of standby, gave Sam a quick look, who in response gave her a smile, before she pulled up her contacts, selected the number and hit the call button. It wasn't a number that she called often. In fact, the only time she ever really called it or got a call from the McBrides was when they needed a cat sitter…

"Hello? Harold McBride speaking…"

Luna took a breath before replying. She needed a second to get into the right groove. This was a happy call and she needed to act like it.

"Hey Mr. McBride, its Luna. Is Clyde home? I have some great news about Lincoln…"

The phone was silent for a moment, making Luna sigh, though she perked up as Harold called out.

"HOWIE! CLYDE! COULD YOU TWO COME HERE FOR A MOMENT? LUNA HAS NEWS ABOUT LINCOLN!"

Luna had to pull the phone from her ear, choosing to put it on speaker to save her hearing. After a few moments, she heard muffled voices on the other line, soon followed by Clyde asking a simple question.

"Umm… Is Lincoln going to be okay?"

Luna sighed. Okay was a pretty complicated word right now… "Well, other than his legs, yeah, he should be just fine physically. And speaking of his legs, I'm happy to tell you dudes that last night Lisa finished working on Lincoln's new mechanical legs. Tomorrow is the surgery… Meaning that he's going to be waking up tomorrow. Hopefully by the end of the week, he will be home."

Once more the phone was silent, this time for significantly longer… Luna hoped that they didn't all pass out from relief… She saw it happen many times before… But then she heard a new noise which took her several moments to figure out what it was, but then it hit her. They were all crying…

"_Sniffle…_ Thank you for letting us know Luna. I'm sure you and your family all know exactly what this means to us. We have had a… Err… We have had a very rough week. Again, I'm sure you are your family have had a similar week… But really thank you. Lincoln means more to us that words can express."

"Harold is right. Lincoln is just as much our friend as he is Clyde's… _Sniffle…_ When we heard about what had happened, we were devastated… Forgive my language, but heck, Lincoln is like a second son to us. He and Clyde are like brothers… We are truly thankful to learn that he is going to awaken… Please, if you or your family need anything and I mean anything, please call. Even if it's in the middle of the night, we don't mind."

Luna felt her eyes start to fill with tears once more. She knew Lincoln and the McBrides were close, but hearing how they really felt about him… Well, it made Ruth's coldness towards Lincoln a lot less troubling…

"Thank you Mr. McB. That means a lot to me and my family. I promise as soon as the surgery is over, we will call you dudes and tell you how it went. I'm sure little Bro will be just fine, but I'm sure we will all feel much better with the knowledge that it when smoothly."

"Thank you Luna. That would be great."

Luna gave herself a nod, sighing. So far the call had gone really well, though, it had been pretty emotional… Wait… Clyde hadn't said much…

"Hey Clyde, how you holding up little Dude? You excited for Lincoln to wake?"

What a dumb question…

"_Sniffle… _Yeah… I am… And umm… Can I ask when I'll be able to visit him? I mean, I don't want to rush him or you guys or anything, but… you know…"

Luna nodded, letting out another sigh. Yeah, she knew…

"I uh… I don't know when you will be able to visit… But I promise we will call and let you know. I'm sure Lincoln will love seeing you."

"Oh… Okay, thanks…"

"Hey Luna, I don't want to seem rude, but we should let you go. I think the three of us need to call Dr. Lopez… Oh, that makes me think. I don't want to seem nosy, but I can give you her number if you guys need to talk to someone…"

Luna couldn't help but to smile at the question. "No thanks Mr. McBride. We have actually been seeing someone already, but thank you anyway."

"Okay then… Well, I hope they are helping you through your problems and helping to sort out your emotions. It isn't healthy to keep them bottled up… Anyway, you take care and tell your parents and family that we said hello."

"Alright, thank you and have a good evening."

"You too… Goodbye Luna…"

"Click…"

The call ended and Luna put her phone back onto standby before setting it onto her lap. She took a long, deep breath, slowly letting it out. That had… Actually gone really well…

"Hey Lunes, how you feeling?"

Luna sighed before turning her head up at Sam, giving her a small smile. "Better. I feel a lot better… Thanks for staying with me during that call… Now, do you still want to call Simon?"

* * *

Lori let out an exhausted yawn. She felt like, that if she were to close her eyes for even a single second too long, she wouldn't open them for a week... It had been a long day. She and her sisters, and Sam, had gotten a lot done.

The living room was more or less ready for Lincoln, just about everyone knew that Lincoln was going to be okay and they had, had a sibling meeting to help Lynn and Lucy after Ruth had made them cry… God… Lori still had trouble believing that someone could be that… low. She knew Ruth could be pretty rude and gross, but that… That was going way too far… It made Lori feel sick…

"_Sigh…"_

Lori looked across the room towards Leni. She was sitting on her bed, looking at her phone. She looked like she was concentrating really hard, which surprised Lori, as Leni wasn't well known for her ability to focus…

"Hey Leni, what's up? You okay over there?"

Leni jumped a little like she was surprised, but once she made eye contact with Lori she relaxed like nothing had happened.

"Yeah, I was just reading some of the comments people are leaving on the post I made about Lincoln's surgery and that he's going be waking tomorrow… They are really nice… It makes me feel better to know that there are so many people that like Lincy…"

Lori couldn't help but to smile. Leni always saw the best in everything… It was just who she was…

Lori sat up in her bed, turning herself to stand before making her way over to Leni's bed. Leni just looked up at her, curiosity in her eyes. Lori just kept her smile and waved her hand, motioning for Leni to scoot over.

Leni did and Lori climbed up next to her, wrapping her arms around her, pulling her close. "Come on, show me some of them."

Leni returned her smile and gave a small nod before lifting her phone so they could be seen. As she started to scroll through the comments, Lori began to read off some of them, finding that there was indeed a lot more than she would have thought…

The first one that caught her attention was one from Lincoln's teacher, Agnes Johnson…

"I was heartbroken to learn that Lincoln had been in such a terrible accident. I know that as a teacher it is unprofessional for me to pick favorites, but I couldn't help it. Lincoln is such a kind, smart, creative boy and to think that something as horrid as this could happen to such a remarkable boy, well, it made me question my own life. In general life is too short and I began to wonder if being a teacher is really worth it? I mean, if I had never chosen this occupation, I would never had met Lincoln, there for, it wouldn't hurt me so much that he is hurt… But then I thought back to all of my students. I have seen many children grow into successful adults and now, my one wish is to see Lincoln do just that. I am confident that Lincoln will change the world. He's already changed mine and many, many others."

Lori and Leni both had to take a moment after reading that. It was just so… Beautiful.

"Wow… That was… Wow…"

Lori nodded, giving Leni a quick look before they both went on reading. They read a few more, finding many shorter wishes of good health before the next big one that caught Lori's eye. It was from one of their own friends, Becky, which was a rather pleasant surprise...

"The first time I met Lincoln, I immediately fell in love with his personality. He was just so funny and down to earth. He did this one trick that made me laugh till I thought I was going to pee. He was dressed in this adorable Russian costume and even had a mustache and a wig to go with it. He would speak with a Russian accent and stood on one foot, with the other behind his head. It was pretty impressive on it's own, but then he started to juggle a few pins. It really was quite the sight… I could probably go on for a while talking about all of the things that impressed me about Lincoln, but I have to say the one thing about him that stood out the most to me is that fact that he's not afraid to be himself… I think we can all learn a thing or two from him… Lincoln, just remember that we Ace fans have each other's backs. Hurry up and get better… Babushka wants to see Lincolnovich Loudinski again."

They couldn't help but to giggle at that one. Lori wasn't even sure if Becky knew what Babushka meant, but she did know it meant something pretty significant to her regardless… Lori couldn't help but to feel a little down about that one. She had tried to keep Lincoln out of that party… But he was one of the main reasons it turned into a success… She let out a sigh, shaking it off to continue reading through more comments.

Again there were a few short ones, though some did stand out more than others, but there was one that stood out more… It was from Mr. Grouse.

"Today I gave the Louds some wood so they could build their brother a ramp for when he comes home. To me it was a simple thing and I mostly brushed it off as nothing… But then I thought back to all of the times I was what most would consider a grouchy old man… And I realized that they were right. I had a tough life, but I was okay with that. It was all I knew. I will admit that I was a bit harsh with the Louds over the many years that I knew them and I feel that I owe you all an apology. The amount of times that something of yours would sail over the fence into my yard and I would take it, claiming, My Yard, My Property… But then last Christmas Lincoln did for me what I can never repay. I returned all that I took from them, but now I sit here thinking to myself, I really can't do anything that can compare to what you and your family did for me. Not only did you let me visit with my family for the first time in countless years, but you also gave to me what I consider to be just as good, if not better… Friendship. Thank you Lincoln. When you can, please come over to visit…"

Lori struggled with those last few words. She had known that Mr. Grouse had changed a lot since last Christmas… But she hadn't really known how much… And it was because of Lincoln. For better or for worst, it was all because of Lincoln…

"_Sniffle… _Lori… Can I have a hug…?"

Lori turned her head towards Leni, giving her a surprised look. She looked simply miserable… Without saying a word, Lori wrapped her arms around Leni, giving her a tight hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"_Sniffle…_ Lori… Why did it have to be Lincy? I keep trying to think of a way to make things go back to normal… But nothing will be normal ever again, will it? I know I'm not smart like the rest of you, but I'm not stupid either… I just don't know what to do any more… I know I'm supposed to be happy that Lincoln is waking tomorrow, but… But I can't help but to be scared… What if something goes wrong? I… I just wish I understood what's going on. I mean, I know Lincoln was hurt, I know he lost his legs and I know he's sleeping so he won't die. I also know Lisa made Lincy a new pair of legs out of tiny robots to make sure he stays alive… But I don't know why… Why did it have to be him? Why didn't the medicine the doctors give him work? Why can't we wake him now? And… And why can't I take his place?"

Leni didn't even give Lori time to respond before she buried her face into Lori's chest, sobbing. Leaving Lori shocked beyond belief… She hadn't realized that Leni was taking everything so hard. She had been so strong and level headed… or so Lori thought. Turned out Leni was a wreck and it was because she understood everything too well. Unlike with other things that Leni could be oblivious about, it seemed that she had been hyper aware of everything involving Lincoln and now that Lori thought about it, it wasn't even that surprising.

Everyone knows how much Leni loves their only brother and after the accident, it seemed that Leni was getting over whelmed by it. It just seemed to take a while for it to finally hit her. Leni wasn't dumb, she was just slow…

Lori sighed as she brought her hand to the back of Leni's head, starting to stroke her hair. "Listen Leni, I know things are confusing right now. I get it, I really do. Heck, I don't think even Lisa fully understands what is going on… I sure know I don't… Leni, it's okay to be scared and I'm here for you. We all are and we always will be. I know things are scary right now, but know this, tomorrow Lincoln is going to have his surgery, he will wake up and in a few days, he will come home… I know you have a lot of questions and I'm sorry to say I can't answer them… I don't think anyone can really answer them… But I do know things will get better. I promise, even though things are hard now, they will get easier. Just make sure to keep loving Lincoln and everything will be alright."

Leni stopped crying. Her breathing became calm… And she tilted her head up to meet Lori's eyes. "Do you promise?"

Lori closed her eyes for a moment. If she promised and something did happen to Lincoln tomorrow, not only would Leni be crushed, but she would probably never be able to trust Lori again… It was going to have to be a risk that Lori was going to have to take… It was her responsibility to make sure her family was taken care of…

"Yes Leni, I promise that Lincoln is going to be fine. It will take time and we will all have to be patient, but I promise. Just keep loving Lincy and I promise, everything will be fine…"

Leni sighed and Lori could feel her relax against her. It was like all of her worry haddissolved away… Lori could see it in her eyes… And it scared her. Leni trusted her fully and Lori wasn't going to brake that trust. Not even if it killed her. It was her responsibility as her big sister…

"Thanks Lori… I feel a lot better… Do you want to keep reading comments with me?"

Lori shook her head. She had, had enough of that. She still had things to do… She put on her best smile, finding it harder than usual, but put everything into it. "No thank you. I still have to call Ronnie and Bobby to tell them the good news."

Leni nodded, returning the smile. "Okay, I understand."

Lori sighed as she moved to stand, starting off towards her own bed. Today had been emotional to say the least… They had gotten a lot done, dealt with a lot of issues and come tomorrow, things would finally start coming back together. Tomorrow, Lincoln was going to wake up.

* * *

**Alright, I'll start this off with an apology. Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. Life has been pretty crazy, as I'm sure you are all very aware of, and I was having computer issues. I actually had to rewrite this chapter seven times. I was about ready to throw this damn laptop out of my window and go back to writing with my phone, but I think I got the problem solved. Anyway, Thank you for your patience and I hope to get the next chapter out a lot sooner. No promises as to when, but it will be a lot sooner than a month from now. **

**Again, thank you for your patience and please, let me know what you thought about this chapter. As always, have a good one. ^_^**


	15. Chapter 15

**(5:39 AM)**

Lori woke to the sound of crying…

It was faint, almost to the point where she thought she was imagining it… But after sitting up and taking a quick look around her shared room, she made the decision to get up and check it out. If one of her sisters were crying and probably scared, she would be damned if she didn't at least check on them…

She let out a tired sigh as she threw off her blankets, turning to set her feet on the carpeted floor. After taking a second to look at the time, she stood. It was almost five thirty in the morning… It wouldn't leave much time for her or whoever was crying, to sleep… Though, they could just sleep on the way to the hospital…

Then again, It had already been hard enough for Lori to get to sleep to begin with, what with worrying about Lincoln and having had to talk to Bobby and Ronnie Anne till late into the night… Lori shook her head, grabbing her phone and pulling up the flashlight before starting for the doorway. She had to push all other thoughts from her mind or she would never find out who was crying or why…

As she exited her room, the crying grew slightly louder, though, not by much, telling her that it was coming from the far end of the hall. When she turned so her back was facing the bathroom, she noticed that the twins' door was ever so slightly ajar and that a dim light was shining through the gap, telling her that one of the twins had probably had a nightmare…

Lori let out a yawn as she started towards Lola and Lana's room. She hoped they hadn't been awake for too long. They often had bad dreams and while she often would calm her little sisters, Lincoln was usually the one that would comfort them and get them back to sleep… Without Lincoln, Lori wasn't sure what to do…

Lori suddenly halted about ten feet from the twins' room. The crying had stopped, only to be replaced with an exhausted, yet gentle voice. Standing out in the hall, Lori couldn't pick up any words that were being said, nor by who, but she could tell that whatever they were saying, was helping…

Lori crept closer, not wanting to disturb the twins, nor the speaker. The last thing they needed was to get startled because Lori stepped on a loose floor board…

As Lori reached the door, she started to pick up what was being said and when she realized who it was, she couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride… It was Lynn...

"Shhh… It's alright. It was just a dream. I know it's scary, but it's over and it wasn't real. I promise, in the morning when you wake, you will feel much better…"

It was… Strange to hear Lynn speaking in such a manor. She had a softness about her voice that Lori hadn't heard before… It was both comforting, yet at the same time it was full of sadness… She could only wonder as to what the bad dream could have possibly have had been about…

"But… What if it comes true?"

Lori perked slightly, listening as Lola asked her question. The poor kid sounded both exhausted and scared. Lynn had her work cut out for her. Lori was tempted to step in and help, but Lynn's next words made her freeze in her tracks…

"I know you two are scared… Believe me, I am too… But Lincoln isn't going to die… You'll see tomorrow, everything will be fine. I know it's hard to sleep, I know it's scary and we are all nervous… But just remember that Lincoln is going to wake up. He'll have new legs, but he will still be our favorite, white haired nerd. I know a lot of things are changing for everyone, including you both… But some things will stay the same. He will still love you and we will all still love him. We will be there for him, just like he has always been here for us."

Lori felt tears fill the corners of her eyes… While what Lynn had said was a bit of similar promise as to what Lori had said to Leni, there was something about the way she said it that made it seem far more… Believable… As if there was no other option… No… It was like Lynn wouldn't accept the possibility that Lincoln could die… It was truly touching… It was like all of her love for Lincoln was in her words…

Though… Lori couldn't help but to think about what would happen to Lynn or for that matter any of them if Lincoln were to die… Lori didn't know what she would do if that were to happen… She couldn't bear the thought… It was too painful… They just needed to make it though the next few hours till Lincoln's surgery, then get through that… And then finally, they could have him back… They could hug the damn twerp all they wanted and Lori would literally never let him go…

Lori was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that the gentle words had grown silent, nor did she see that the bedroom light had been shut off and when the door quietly opened, she didn't even notice Lynn until they were literally face to face, startling Lori out of her daze…

"Lori? What are you doing here?"

Lori looked at Lynn for a moment, feeling a frown spread down her face once she saw how simply exhausted Lynn really was. She had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes, her hair was a mess and she looked a little bit pale…

"Lynn… Why aren't you asleep?"

Lori mentally face palmed as Lynn raised a hand, pointing over her shoulder towards the twin's room. "Nightmares. They both dreamt that Lincoln died… But from the face you are making, I can guess that you heard us talking about it… Oh… Dang it Lori, I don't know what to do anymore… I know Lincoln is going to be just fine… Or at least as fine as he can get, but I'm so stressed out right now… I thought that these last couple of days would be the easiest… But they're just so damn stressful… Everyone is having bad dreams… First Lucy, then Lisa, then the twins… I don't get it… Why can't we just get a couple of days to relax?"

Lori looked at Lynn, surprised by how quickly she went from looking and acting so together, to practically falling apart in seconds… "Wait, how long have you been awake? You said that Lucy and Lisa also had bad dreams? Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped. I wouldn't have even been upset or anything…"

Lynn sighed, bringing her hands to her face, attempting to rub away the exhaustion. "I don't even know anymore… I think I got up at twoish… Maybe an hour…?"

Lori frowned as she looked at her sleep deprived little sister… She had been awake for hours… "Lynn… It's almost six… You've been awake for almost four hours. You need to sleep."

Lynn turned her head towards the floor, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest… Lori could tell something was off… "Did you have a bad dream too?"

Even in the dim light, Lori could easily see the blush as it formed on Lynn's face, making her frown… Lynn may have come very far in the last week, but she still had her own insecurities and worries…

"It wasn't that bad… At least not as bad as the twin's… I just… I just don't want to sleep till I'm positive that Lincoln is going to be fine… Not to mention that I went to bed really early last night, so I'm sure I'll be fine…"

Lori's eyes widened in realization as Lynn spoke… It seemed pretty obvious now that she thought about it… "It's because of Ruth… Isn't it? Because of what she said last night? That's why you are all having nightmares?"

Lynn slowly nodded and Lori felt her chest tighten as a single tear fell from Lynn's face…

"_Sniffle…_ Yeah… I know it's stupid… And I know I shouldn't be so upset… But it really hurts… I don't even know why… She was mean to Lincoln, not me… And he doesn't even know about it… I just… I'll just… I'll just feel so much better once Lincoln is awake and even more so once he's home… I miss him so much that it hurts, but I'm also so excited and nervous about seeing him tomorrow… I don't even know what to think about the surgery… I'm hoping that Lisa isn't going to be too tired tomorrow because of her nightmare… I just… I…"

Lynn trailed off as she closed the few steps to Lori, and much to Lori's surprise, Lynn wrapped her arms around her, burying her face into Lori's chest. Within a few seconds, tears were soaking through her night shirt…

Lori let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around Lynn. She hadn't realized how much stress Lynn had been under… She hadn't gotten enough sleep and with what Ruth had said…

"Lynn, listen… The reason why what Ruth said hurts so much, is because of how much Lincoln means to you… To all of us… As for Lisa… Well, I know that we can get her up and energized. We'll make a big breakfast later in the morning. We'll make sure she's relaxed and ready to go. We'll go to the hospital, spend a little time with Lincoln before the surgery, then wish him luck and send him off. Lisa will do the surgery and just like you've been saying, it will go perfectly. He'll wake up, we'll be there for him and then we can tell him how much we love him…"

Lynn took a long, deep breath before letting it out in an equally long, slow sigh. She pulled her face away from Lori's chest and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before replying.

"You make it sound so easy… Which I guess it is… I just hate waiting… I wish it could happen right now… I want to… No… I need to tell him how much he means to me… I need to tell him how much I love him… And I need to give him a massive hug… Heck, I'll even give him a kiss on the cheek… I just miss him so much…"

Lori nodded, bringing her hand up to brush the worst of Lynn's tangled hair out of her face. "I get it, I really do. And… It's not easy… I also can't wait to see Lincoln again… And I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see us again. I'll probably kick his butt for scaring us so bad, but I'm sure we can show him how much we love and appreciate him…"

Lynn gave her a small nod. "Yeah… You know… It's funny… In a really sickening sort of way… It took Lincoln getting hit by a car for me to realize how much he really means to me… I have another chance to make things right between us… And I'd rather burn then let this opportunity pass me by…

Lori nodded, brushing her hand over Lynn's head one final time, flattening her hair the best she could. "I know what you mean… I really do… Come on, if you aren't going to go back to bed, let's at least go downstairs. I don't want to wake anyone up… At least someone has to sleep tonight…"

Lynn let out a sigh, not arguing as Lori placed her hand on her shoulder and started leading her towards the stairs.

"It's a little chilly. How about I make us some hot cacao or some hot tea? You just go sit on the couch and then we can talk about whatever you want or we can play a quiet game or anything else you want. What do you say?"

Lynn looked up at Lori, giving her a small nod. "Can I think about it…? Oh, and hot cocoa sounds nice… Can you put in those mini marshmallows that Lincoln puts in it?"

Lori gave her a small smile as they started down the stairs. "Of course you can think about it and I'll make sure to put in the marshmallows. Just make yourself comfortable."

Lynn nodded, a small smile touching her lips, making Lori chuckle lightly as they descended the stairs. It amazed her how even the simplest of things can help lighten the mood and if mini marshmallows helped Lynn feel better, then mini marshmallows Lynn would get…

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lori gave a small shiver and as Lynn's bare feet hit the cold, wooden floor, she let out a small chirp of shock.

"Eep… Good God is that cold…"

Lori couldn't help grinning as Lynn stretched her legs across the floor, taking as few steps as possible to the arm chair. As soon as she was seated, she had the blanket that Luan had used the day prier, wrapped tightly around her. Lynn may have been tough and thick skinned, but she had surprisingly sensitive feet…

Lori shook her head as she headed for the kitchen. She could start the fire in a few moments… Right now, she was going to make some hot cocoa. Then she would spend a little time with Lynn before everyone else woke... and then they would have to go to the hospital… And then things would start going back to some form of normal…

* * *

**(6:00 AM)**

Lynn sighed as she swallowed her cocoa, savoring the pleasant taste and feel as the hot beverage warmed her stomach… "Mmm…"

"Hmm… I'll take that as good?"

Lynn looked up at the amused looking Lori, giving her a nod. "Yes… Thank you."

Lori gave her a smile, setting down her own cocoa on the floor next to the TV stand, before turning for the fire place. "No problem. So… Did you think of what you wanted to do? A board game or cards or something else?"

Lynn nodded, watching as Lori walked up to the fire place, starting to gather up wood to get it going. "Yeah… I was wondering if maybe we could just… You know… Talk?"

Lori paused midway through lifting a chunk of wood and turned to give Lynn a mildly surprised look. "Talk? Just talk…? Err… Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

Lynn sighed, picking the first thing that came to mind, as she wasn't really sure how to start the conversation…

"Well, not much… I just thought it would be a nice way to … You know, to pass the time? So… How did everyone's conversations go last night? I did fall asleep before we got a chance to discuss everything because… You know… Though… I guess I have Luan to thank for that… I wasn't exactly feeling that great after talking to Ruth…"

Lori nodded, going back to setting up the fire. "Oh, I understand… And I was very happy that Luan helped you and Lucy to relax after that… Anyway, speaking of Luan, she told us that the call with Pop -Pop went very well. He was thrilled that Lincoln is going to be having surgery tomorrow and that he should be coming home by the end of the week… Though, the call did have to be cut short because Pop-Pop was crying so much… I'm very grateful that he has Gran-Gran to help him through this… I'm not sure how he would have handled everything without her… We really owe her a lot…"

Lynn nodded… She had to admit that she was a bit… Well, she couldn't really say that she was surprised that Pop-Pop had cried, as everyone knew how much he loved Lincoln… His whole family for that matter… But it was still a bit strange to hear about… she couldn't recall a single time that she had even so much as heard about him crying… He was just always so… Happy…

Lynn let out a small sigh… There was a small amount of satisfaction in that thought. She could only image his reaction when he got to see Lincoln again… It was something that she hoped she could witness…

"Anyway, after the meeting about Ruth, Luna and Sam called the McBrides and let them know… I'm sure you can imagine how that went. From what Luna said, they sounded like they were so happy that they weren't really sure how to process it. Almost like they were in some kind of 'happy shock'… Especially Clyde. I guess he mostly just wanted to know when he could visit Lincoln in the hospital. Luna told him that we would let them know as soon as we knew. Seems fair… I can already image the look on both his face and Lincoln's when they see each other… I don't know if Lincoln is even aware of how much time has passed, but I know how much that goof of a friend of his means to him…"

Lynn couldn't help but to give a small smile. Clyde could be a bit… Well, Clyde was Clyde and he was definitely one of a kind… "Yeah… They love each other like brothers. I don't think they would be the same people they are today if they didn't meet… Sometimes I don't think we give him enough credit… He's one of the few people that I think we can all call a friend… After all, he seems to be able to deal with us pretty well… Well, other than you…"

Lori rolled her eyes, though from the glimmer in her eyes, Lynn was certain that she didn't mean anything by it. She knew Clyde could annoy her with his silly crush, but she also knew that Lori found it a lot more flattering than she would admit…

"So, what about Ronnie? I'm sure she was ecstatic about Lincoln waking."

Lori hesitated as she struck a match, using it to light paper and small kindling, making Lynn raise a brow in confusion. "What's with the face? Lincoln's her best friend, right?"

Lori sighed, hesitating for a moment longer to make sure that the fire was going before she turned towards Lynn, giving her a serious look. "Yes, Lincoln is her best friend… Well, other than Sid, but that's beside the point… _Sigh… _When I called Bobby last night, it was a lot harder to get a hold of him than I thought it would have been... And by time I got a hold of him… Well, there had been a pretty good reason as to why it took so long…"

Lori paused for a moment and Lynn figured she was just trying to organize her thoughts, making her wonder what could have happened…

"Well, long story short, Ronnie Anne tried to run away. Apparently she has been taking Lincoln's accident very hard. Bobby told me that she hadn't been eating for the last few days to the point where she's lost a bit of weight, though apparently nothing too worry some… she would barely talk to anyone and would only really leave her room to use the bathroom."

Lori continued, not giving Lynn any time to speak, not that she could have. She was, to say the very least, shocked…

"I can tell you it all in more detail later, but in the end, that is after everyone searching for the entire day, it was Sid that found her. She found Ronnie about ten miles away from their apartment building, waiting at a bus station. Sid immediately called everyone to let them know before going to talk with her. Ms. Santiago tried to tell Sid to just stay out of sight in case Ronnie tried to run, but Sid refused, saying that if a bus came, it might be too late. I have to say, I agree with Sid on that…"

"Anyway, I guess Sid went to talk with Ronnie… Though, no one actually knows what she said to her, as they both refused to talk about it, but whatever it was must have convinced Ronnie to stay, as when Bobby and the others got to her, she and Sid were just sitting on the bench waiting for them. Ronnie was bawling her eyes out, while Sid just held her in a hug, whispering to her."

"When they got home was about the time that I got a hold of Bobby. I asked to speak with him and Ronnie, it was at this time Bobby told me what had happened and that it might not be the best time to talk, as Ronnie was getting ready to for bed. I guess she and Sid were having a sleep over in Ronnie's room… Though, I suspect that was mainly to keep Ronnie from trying to run again… Anyway, I quickly explained to Bobby that what I wanted to tell them was about Lincoln and before I even finished speaking, Ronnie was on the phone."

"She sounded very nervous, though I guess I can't blame her for that, as she probably thought it was more bad news. I started off by telling her that Lincoln is doing well and that he would be just fine, as tomorrow… Err… I guess that would be today now… Anyway, he would be having his surgery, would be getting the legs that Lisa made attached to him and that we would be waking him. I told her that I would call or message them as soon as Lincoln was awake and, that is if he's up for it, I would even let her talk to him on my phone."

"Well, as I expected, Ronnie was thrilled. She immediately ran off to tell everyone else the news and a few moments later they had all gathered to express their feeling of joy and excitement over the news. Especially Ronnie. After everyone left to let me talk to Bobby for a little while, he told me that he had begun to worry that Ronnie would never smile again. He said that this whole thing terrified him, not only because his little bro was badly hurt but because he could see how much it was hurting Ronnie's heart and mind. I have to say I literally can't blame him, as I felt the same way with Luan the day before yesterday and with all of the rest of you... Anyway, he thanked me for the good news and we said goodbye. I told him I would keep them informed and that was that."

Lynn blinked at Lori a couple of times while she let her words sink in. It was, in fact, a lot to take in… On one hand, Lynn thought that Ronnie Anne may have over reacted a bit… but then again, on the other hand, she completely understood why Ronnie would have done that…

"Well… I can say one thing that is for sure... I don't blame Ronnie for trying to run away."

Lori looked at Lynn with slight confusion, raising a brow at her. "What do you mean?"

Lynn sighed, sitting up to set her now empty cocoa mug onto the floor. "Well, think about it for a second. You, me, our sisters and our parents, Lincoln's other friends, Jim, heck most of the town knew about everything that has happened… Not really sure how Ronnie didn't hear anything or the news about Lincoln's surgery on social media or the news in general… Then again, as depressed as she sounds, I guess I can understand how… Anyway, I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing if I was in her shoes. She knew little to nothing about what was going on with Lincoln and she was terrified as to what might be happening with him. For all she knew he was either already dead or dying. I know that sounds excessive, but think about it. She was really worried about him to the point where she stopped eating, stopped talking with her friends and family. I bet she hasn't slept right since finding out about Lincoln getting hit by a car, I know I haven't slept right since. In her tired, confused state, she probably thought that last night could have been her last chance to see him… we of all people should know how that feels…"

"You know… I feel a bit more respect for her now. She cares so much about Lincoln that she was willing to run away to see him… It's actually really sweat if you think about it… Though… It does make me wonder what that Sid kid said to get her to go home…"

Lori looked at Lynn for several moments, making Lynn think that she may have said something stupid, but she quickly shook it off as Lori snapped out of it, starting towards Lynn. "Dang Lynn… That was… _Sigh…_ I get what you mean… I suppose if I was in her shoes I would have done the same thing as well… Look Lynn, I don't know what Sid said to Ronnie… I don't even know if it matters… What I do know however, is that it helped her, which in turn helped her family. It makes me think about what's happened and what's going to happen. It makes me think about who we are as people and a family… Heck, it makes me think about who we will be once Lincoln is home…"

"None of us know for certain if Lincoln is actually going to wake up. We don't know if the surgery will be successful. We don't know how Lincoln will feel about everything. Really, we know nothing about what today holds for us, not what tomorrow holds and so forth… What I'm trying to say, Lynn, is that no matter what happens, no matter what the future holds. No matter what, we all need to be here for each other. For our sisters. For Lincoln. For mom and dad. For our friends. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

Lynn looked at Lori, slowly nodding. "Yeah… I think so… It just seems so…"

"_Creak…_"

Lynn's heart jumped into her throat and her head snapped around to look at the stairs in surprise. She let out a small sigh as she saw Luna, Sam and Luan sitting on the bottom steps. From the sheepish looks they were giving her and Lori, Lynn could guess that they had been sitting there for a while, more than likely having heard a large part of their conversation.

Rather than being annoyed with their eavesdropping, Lynn instead couldn't help but to feel bad. "I'm sorry guys, did we wake you? We tried to stay quiet…"

Luna let out a large yawn while shaking her head and standing, being soon followed by the others. "No, don't worry about it Lynn… We were awake before you guys even came down stairs. I actually heard crying and got up to see what was wrong, but when I saw both of you standing outside of Lola's and Lana's room, I figured that you two had it under control. I went to go back to bed, but I tripped on something and…"

Luna was cut off as Sam wrapped an arm around her, laying her tired head against Luna's. "And she landed in the middle of my lap, waking me up. I would have said it was a rude awakening, but who could be mad at this cutie? … Not to mention the adorable little squeal she made as she fell."

Luan let out a snort or as close to a snort as she could get with how stuffed up she sounded… "Easy for you to say, as loud as she was, I'm surprised it didn't wake the kids or mom and dad… Though, I was already awake because Sam snores almost as loud as Lynn."

Lynn looked at Luan with slight offence. "Wait, what? I don't snore! I don't know why you're trying to pull me into this just because…"

"_Pft…"_

Lynn turned to Lori giving her a frown. "What?"

Lori rolled her eyes, looking over Lynn at Luna and Luan. "Come on Lynn, we all know you snore like a bear. Heck, I can remember when Mr. Grouse came over one morning to complain about someone using a chainsaw all night. We all knew it was you."

Lynn crossed her arms over her chest, unconvinced. It sounded completely ridiculous and unrealistic. "Bull. If that happened, why don't I remember it? How would he even hear it?"

"It did happen. He heard it because it was a very hot summer night and all of our windows were open, as were his. Apparently he didn't sleep at all that night and was in a very bad mood. The reason you didn't hear anything about it was because of Lincoln."

Everyone looked towards the Loud parent's room, surprised to find their mother standing in the doorway, looking, much to Lynn's surprise, to be in a really bad mood. "We didn't wake you did we? And what do you mean, because of Lincoln?"

Her mother gave Lynn a look that confused her… It almost seemed… Angry…

"No. You didn't wake me, I would've had to be asleep for that to happen… As for what I mean, Grouse came over all angry because he had to go to some kind of meeting later in the afternoon. He wanted whoever it was to help him with some chores so he could take a nap. Before anyone else could even so much as hit that it was you, Lincoln came forward saying that it was him. Before anyone could argue, he was gone."

Lynn frowned to herself. "Why would he do that?"

Her mother let out a snort, making Lynn's frown deepen… Did she do something to anger her mother?

"If I had to make a guess I would say it was because of the way you were treating him the night before. You lost one of your stupid games and as usual, you were taking it out on him. He probably just wanted to keep you from getting angrier…"

"Oh for the love of…. Rita, that's enough! Just because you are upset that Lincoln's hurt doesn't mean you need to take out your frustrations on Jr. or any of the other girls. I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is. Why don't you just come back to bed and try to get some sleep?"

Mrs. Loud let out a sigh as she turned to head back into the room, but paused at the last minute to look at Lynn, giving her a frown. "I'm sorry Lynn, I don't mean to be snappy or anything… I'm just over tired and still angry at Ruth for what she said to you and Lucy. I'm sure Lincoln was only trying to help you to calm down and to relax… I love you girls so much…" With that, she headed back into her room, silently closing the door behind her.

As soon as the sound of bed springs were heard, signifying that their mother was back in bed, Lynn's sisters, and Sam, rushed to stand around her, giving the immensely confused Lynn, concerned looks. Lynn just looked up at them, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Did… Did I do something wrong? I mean… She sounded so angry… I… I didn't know that happened… I didn't mean to upset Lincoln or anything… I just…"

"Wow now… Lynn, calm down."

Lynn looked at Luan as she placed her hand on Lynn's shoulder. "Do… Do you think Lincoln hates me?"

The room grew still for a moment and Lynn turned her head down to look at the floor, tears forming in her eyes, while bringing her legs up to her chest. She despised the feeling that was beginning to grow within her heart… "You do… don't you? I don't think I would blame him if he did… Maybe I shouldn't go to the hospital… I'm a terrible si…"

"NO!"

Lynn flinched as Sam yelled at her before quickly grabbing her by her shoulders, forcing Lynn to look her in the eyes. "No. Don't you dare say it. You are not a terrible sister. Can you be a bit rough? From what I've seen and heard, that is a given, but there is nothing wrong with that…"

Lynn opened her mouth to respond, but Sam gave her a look that made her shut it before she could even utter the slightest of sounds.

"Let me finish. You are not a terrible sister. You may be a bit rough, that is just who you are… But from what I have seen and heard over these last few days, I can say without a doubt that you are a great sister. Sure you can be a bit hot headed and proud, as can we all, but now, when it matters the most, you have shown who you really are. You are a sensitive, loving sister that wants nothing more than to have her little brother home so that she can not only make up for her mistakes and learn from them, but to protect him and show him how much he means to you. It doesn't matter what you have done in the past, all that matters is what you plan to do now. So, are you going to just sit here and mope because your mother made you think that you were bad? Or are you hold your head high, get ready for today and get your butt into that hospital and root for Lincoln? Then, you hug that little dude, give him a kiss on the cheek and then tell him how much he means to you. Think you can do that? … Or are you a coward?"

"_Gasp…!_"

Lynn's eyes narrowed as Sam gave her a challenging grin. She knew exactly what she was trying to do. She was trying to play into Lynn's competitive side. Trying to get Lynn to accept what was going on… And it was working… For the first time in a little over a week, Lynn felt a small spark in her. Lynn grinned back at Sam, leaning in towards her face.

"I'm not a coward. To be honest, I'm terrified, but I'm no coward. I'm going to be there for Lincoln when he wakes, weather he wants me to be or not. I might not be his favorite sister, I doubt he even has a favorite and that's alright, because I love him and he loves me… And that's good enough for me…"

* * *

**(8:18 AM)**

"What do you mean he's sick?"

Luna looked up at Sam. She was talking on her phone, looking both worried and annoyed at the same time. She wasn't sure what was going on, but from the look on Sam's face, Luna was sure it wasn't very good…

"FOOD POISONING? He's going to be okay, right?"

Luna's eyes widened in surprise as Sam sprang from the couch next to her. She started across the living room, ducking to avoid the hanging sheets. Luna moved to stand, wanting to figure out what was going on, but before she could, Sam had mumbled something into her phone and hung up.

She quickly turned towards Luna, giving her a frown. Her eyes were filled with the look of decision and Luna had a feeling that she already knew what she was going to say. "You have to leave… Don't you?"

Sam nodded, starting for Luna. "Yes, I do. I'm so sorry. My moron of a brother got food poisoning from eating week old pizza and my mom has to work. The doctor said he would be fine, but I can't leave him home alone… I'm so, so, so sorry Luna. I know I said I would be here for you and your family until Lincoln was home, but I have to go… Gah… I would kick his stupid ass if I wasn't so worried… I'm so sorry Luna…"

Luna crossed the room, meeting Sam as she started to tear up and pulled her into a hug. "Hey, it's alright. I completely understand and I don't mind that you have to go. He's sick and you've already helped us so much and couldn't ask for a better girlfriend, nor a better best friend. I promise that I will keep you up to date the entire time. As soon as I know anything about Lincoln, I will message you and let you know."

Sam sighed, hugging Luna back. "Thanks… Again, I'm really sorry I have to go… I'll try to be back in the next day or two to check on you and Lincoln, and the rest of your family. Oh, and if anything happens or if you need me for any reason at all and I mean anything, I'll come straight over, I don't care if I have to bring Simon with a garbage can taped to his face to puke in."

Luna couldn't help but to smile at Sam, earning a smile in return. It was nice to know that she had someone like Sam that she could always count on…

"So… When do you have to leave?"

Sam let out another sigh as they pulled out of their hug. "Now… Mom is already late for work… Umm… Is it okay if I leave my things here? I don't want to leave them waiting any longer. If it's okay, I can pick them up when I visit in a couple days… Man, I didn't think leaving would be this hard… I guess your sisters and parents really are like a second family to me…"

Luna gave Sam a nod, understanding and watched as she headed towards the door to grab her coat and shoes. "Yeah, of course you can leave it here. I'll pack up your things and put them next to my drums so nothing gets stepped on, okay? And Sam… We all feel like you are family too and… I'm sure Lincoln will be happy to get to know you better. I know he'll love you."

Sam paused as she slid on her second shoe, giving Luna a smile. "I sure hope so. I've only gotten to meet him a couple of times. It would suck if it turned out he hated me… Oh, before I forget, you should send me a list of your bro's favorite Smooch songs. That way, while I'm taking care of Simon, I can practice them. Then when I visit, we can play them for him. Maybe that will earn me a few brownie points with the little dude."

Luna couldn't help but to roll her eyes as Sam winked at the last part. Sam was… Sam… "I'm sure you won't need any extra points or whatever, but I'm sure he'll love it."

Sam gave her a smile as she slipped on her winter coat and pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Well… I guess this is it… At least for a couple of days… I love you Luna…"

Luna sighed, walking over to Sam and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "I love you too… And really, thanks for all that you've done for us and well… Me… I don't think I could have lasted this long without you."

Sam leaned in, planting a kiss on Luna's lips before pulling away with a smile. "Yes you would have. You have an amazing family that all love you so much… Besides, you have Lincoln to help. What on earth would he do without his rocking sister?"

Luna sighed as Sam gave her a last peck on the cheek before stepping back and moving for the door. "Oh, and I'm holding you to the promise of keeping me informed. I don't want to miss anything… Good bye Lunes…."

And with that, Sam opened the door and walked out, giving Luna a reassuring smile as she closed the door…

Luna could only sigh as the door clicked shut… and she had to fight back her tears when she realized how much she was already missing her…

"Come on Bobby, I already told you, the surgery is at eleven. It's eight thirty now, so that's two and a half hours. We leave in an hour and a half, so Lisa can get ready and so that we can take a couple of minutes to see Lincoln before… And yes Ronnie Anne, I promise that as soon as Lincoln is awake, I will call or text you guys. You guys will be some of the first to know, between you guys, Clyde and his dads and Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran... Wait… Hold on a second, okay?"

Luna watched as Lori pulled her phone from her ear, raising a brow at her. "Hey Luna, are you okay? You're looking kind of down… Are you nervous about the surgery?"

Luna sighed, shaking her head. "No… Well, actually yes, but no… Err… Wait… _Sigh… _Sam left. Her brother has food poisoning and she had to leave to take care of him while their mother is working. She didn't want to leave, as in at all, but she loves Simon and had no choice. While I fully understand why she had to go and I am completely okay with it, I still can't help but to feel sad. Not only because I miss her already, but because she really wanted to be there, not only for me, but for Lincoln. I told her I would keep her informed about everything, but it's not quite the same… Though, she is going to be coming back in a couple of days to pick up her things and to see me and Lincoln, and everyone else."

Lori looked at her for a few moments before putting the phone back to her ear. "Hey guys, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I promise I'll call as soon as we get to the hospital… No, everything is fine, I just need to talk to one of my sisters… Yeah, I'll talk to you in a little while… Love you too… Bye Bobby, bye Ronnie."

Lori hung up her phone as she started towards Luna, giving her a comforting smile. "Awe man… I'm sorry to hear that. I really like her and it was really nice to have her around. I know the others like her… Especially Lynn. It was pretty nice to see a small spark from Lynn again… Anyway, do you want to talk about it? I can make us some tea, I think we still have… Was it earl grey that you like? I can make you cup of that and we talk about it."

Luna sighed, shaking her head. While she appreciated her sister's words and the fact that was wanted to help her feel better, Luna wasn't really sure that it would make much of a difference… "No, thanks… There really isn't much to talk about… I just miss her and I feel bad that she wanted to come with us. I also feel bad that her brother is sick because she was pretty worried about him last night before we called the McBrides. It just sucks that he got sick… Oh, I don't know what to do Lori… I guess maybe some tea wouldn't be a bad idea… You know… For relaxing… Unless you are busy that is…"

Lori shook her head, moving to Luna and wrapping her arms around her, giving her back a gentle rub. "Don't worry about it. Why don't we go to the kitchen and get you some tea? I bet Dad, Lynn, Lucy and Luan are just about done with making breakfast."

Luna raised a brow, sniffing the air in surprise as Lori lightly took her by the wrist, starting to guide her to the kitchen. She didn't realize that anyone was cooking, which surprised her even more when she smelled how delicious it was… How the heck did she manage to miss that?

"What are they cooking? It smells great!"

Lori looked over her shoulder, smiling at her. "I know, right? I actually have no idea. I was a little worried since we have so little food, but Lynn found a bunch of leftovers that were still good… Geez… Now that I think about it, we need to buy groceries desperately…"

Luna nodded, feeling a touch of worry enter her mind when she thought about it. If they didn't go shopping soon, they might not have enough food for when Lincoln got home… That greatly worried her, as Lincoln would need to stay as strong and as healthy as he could possibly get in order to heal… Luna slowed her pace a little without really noticing, that is until Lori stopped to give her a concerned look.

"Hey, you okay Luna?"

Luna looked up at Lori, letting out a sigh. "Yeah…. I guess I'm just worried about whether we will have enough money for food… I mean, I just want to make sure that Lincoln can get enough to eat… Maybe I should get a job to help pay for food… And… I don't really mind if I skip a meal or two… I mean, Lincoln and the little dudes need it more than I do…"

Lori gave Luna a look that went from saying no, to a look of uncertainty, making Luna frown. Lori opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off as a voice spoke from the kitchen.

"Absolutely not! I don't care if I have to work triple shifts and get a second job, there is no way in hell I'm letting any of you kids go hungry. I can assure you that as long as I live, no one will ever go hungry in this house, now get your butts in here and enjoy Jr's breakfast."

Luna and Lori looked at the kitchen in surprise as their father spoke, just barely seeing him before he slipped back into the kitchen. They turned their heads to look at each other before giving the other a shrug before going into the kitchen. Luna still worried that there wouldn't be enough food… But she wasn't going to say it out loud… At least not within ear shot of her father…

As they entered into the kitchen, Luna found herself slightly surprised by how much energy there was. Lynn was standing at the stove, cooking some kind of sandwiches, while Luan was cutting a loaf of bread, only to take said slices and putting them in what Luna could only imagine to be beaten eggs. While they were doing that, Lucy was setting the table, putting out plates, silverware and glasses of juice, which surprised Luna more, as she thought that they were out of juice… And from the looks, it was Orange… Which made her pretty happy…

Last of all, was their father. He seemed to be in a pretty decent mood despite how exhausted he looked, though, Luna couldn't blame him for that, as none of them got much sleep the prier night. He was mostly just standing there, again, not that Luna could blame him. To her, it looked as if he was watching over everything and stepping in when someone needed help, such as when Lucy nearly tripped over Charles or when Lynn had moved over to plate a couple of sandwiches. Their father just flipped the sandwich in the frying pan, keeping it from burning.

As soon as Luna and Lori stepped into the kitchen, everyone looked up to give them some form of greeting, which they returned with a couple of waves. As Luna moved for an empty seat, she paused to look at the food that was getting prepared. Now she was even more confused… She was certain that they didn't have a lot of it the day before…

"Wait… Where did all of this come from? Did someone go shopping without me noticing? How is that even possible? I was sitting on the couch with Sam all morning, I'm sure we would have seen you bringing in food…"

Again Luna shared a look with Lori as she took a seat next to her. In response, their father sat at his spot at the table, giving them his tired attention. "Well, no… Nobody went shopping, or at least not us. This morning, while you girls were getting ready for the day and taking your showers, Jim stopped over with a couple loafs of bread and some eggs. He tried to claim that they were a couple of days old and needed to get used right up or they would be thrown away… But I've baked enough bread to know when it's fresh out of the oven. It was still warm and buttery. Not long after he left, Mr. Grouse came over with a couple of gallons of Orange Juice. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised by that one. Anyway, on his way out, the Yates stopped by with some veggies and meat. We'll still need to go shopping, but at least we can wait another day or two while we get things settled with Lincoln."

Luna couldn't help but to feel happy at hearing that… Though, also a touch sad. On one hand, she really appreciated how nice and supportive their neighbors were being… Then again on the other, she didn't want them to think that they were unable to support themselves… But she really couldn't complain, after all, they were just being kind and they really did need it… Not to mention that it would give her parents a small, yet much needed break from their stress…

Luna looked up at her father, giving him a small smile. "Well, that was kind of them. A bit surprising, but it's nice to know that our neighbors at least like us a little bit."

He nodded, letting out a tired sigh. "Yeah… I'm not a fan of having to depend on the kindness of our neighbors, but I'm not going to complain. It's free and to be honest, we desperately needed it…"

"Your father is right. We do need it. Sometime, that is after we are settled in with Lincoln, we should all write a nice note to each of them, thanking them for their kindness, it is, after all, the least we can do."

Luna turned her head towards the living room, raising a brow in mild surprise when she saw her mother standing in the door way, holding Lily. Her hair was wet; more than likely from having had just gotten out of the shower and even more surprising to Luna was the fact that her mother looked a lot less tired then her father.

After how her mother had reacted last night towards Lynn, she would have had thought that she would have still been a mess, but it looked as if her shower had woke her up… Or it could be the fact that in just a couple of hours, they would be seeing Lincoln for the first time in days… And in only a couple of hours more, they would be waking him… then again, both could be affecting her mother…

"I agree with mom. We should write thank you letters to our neighbors. Especially Jim and Mr. Grouse…"

Luna looked at Lori, giving her a nod of agreement as their mother moved to sit next to their father. "Yeah. It's funny how much Mr. Grouse has changed over the years… I almost miss hearing him yell at use when we accidently lose something over his fence… Then again, it's nice to actually be able to get along with him. Heck, I know Lynn loves hanging out with him. I don't think she would know what to do with herself during the sport seasons. Who would she watch baseball or hockey with if he wasn't around?"

"Clank!"

Luna raised a brow at Lynn as she set a plate with a rather delicious looking sandwich down in front of her. "Watch what you say or I'll keep the sandwich. Mr. Grouse is actually really fun to hang out with."

Luna raised her hands defensively at Lynn before looking down at her sandwich. "Dude, I'm not saying any think bad about him, I just think it's nice that you have someone other than Lincoln to do things with… What kind of sandwich is this? It looks delicious."

Lynn sighed as she set another sandwich in front of Lori. "It was supposed to be a Monty Cristo, but because Lisa and well, quite frankly all of us need something to help us wake up, it has the addition of fried eggs, veggies, mushrooms, potatoes and a couple of different meats… Wait a second… Where are Lisa and the other's?"

"Right here. Sorry we took so long."

Luna turned her head back to the kitchen doorway, watching as Leni walked in with Lisa and the twins. They all looked a lot better than the rest of the family. They looked a more rested then everyone else and really, Luna guessed that had a lot to do with Lynn or at least for the little ones. Luna wasn't really sure how Leni managed to get so much sleep last night…

"Hey, where is Sam?"

Luna frowned as all eyes were suddenly focused on her. She just moved her eyes down to look at her sandwich. "She had to leave… Her brother has food poisoning and she needs to watch him. She didn't want to leave, but her mother had to work, so she didn't have a choice. She said that she will try to be back in a day or two to check up on us and Lincoln."

Luna looked up as a hand landed on each of her shoulders. Lori and Lynn just smiled down at her, making her sigh. "I know it's not fair for me to want her to be here, I just can't help it. I was just getting used to her being here and now… Am I a bad girlfriend for not wanting her to leave?"

"Of course not silly. You care for each other. It's always hard to say goodbye to people, especially the ones you love. You just have to remember that she's not really gone. She just left for a little while to help her little brother. She'll be back before you know it. Just imagine how happy you will both be when you see each other again… And this time Lincy will be here too… Mmm… This sandwich is like, totes amazing…"

Luna raised a brow in surprise towards Leni, watching as she took a bite of one of Lynn's sandwiches… She had to admit, while her older sister was often… well, Leni, she did occasionally have a moment or two where she would say or do something that just made sense or, on a very rare occasion, would say something that was actually pretty damn smart…

Luna couldn't help but to smile at Leni. She really didn't give her enough credit… "Thanks Leni, that actually makes me feel a little better…"

Leni just smiled back at Luna, swallowing her bite. "You're welcome… For what?"

Luna sighed as Leni went back to eating… Yeah… Leni was Leni… But she wouldn't want to change her for the world…

* * *

**(11:15 AM)**

Lisa was, to put quite bluntly, a nervous wreck. It was a curious feeling. One that she couldn't quite remember if she had ever felt before. It sort of felt like her heart was trying to burst from her chest while her brain was going into over drive.

She was sweating something fierce and her mouth was drier than the Sahara…

"Hey kiddo, you alright?"

Lisa looked up at her father from where she sat in the arm chair. She wasn't really sure how to respond… She really had never felt this way before… She just felt so… Unsure of herself…

"I… I'm fine. I'm just collecting my thoughts, that is all."

Her father gave her an uncertain look before moving to kneel next to her, wrapping his arm around her. "You know, I know I don't say this enough… But I'm proud of you."

Lisa raised a brow at her father, giving him a questioning look.

"Really, we all are. You have done a great many amazing things in your short life… things from curing common ailments, to building Lincoln a new pair of legs… But those aren't the reasons I am proud of you. Sure you did something that I at least would consider to be impossible… But that dulls in comparison to what you have actually done…"

Her father pause for a moment, more than likely mulling over is next words.

"I know that you are a genius and all… but you are still just a child. You have seen things and done things that most could only dream to be able to accomplish… But your greatest accomplishment is that you gave me, your mother and your sisters all hope… Hope that Lincoln would survive… Hope that he would wake… And now… Or in about ten or fifteen minutes, we will be going to the hospital so that you can do Lincoln's surgery…"

"But what if I fail?"

Her father looked down at her, making her look down at her lap… Her eyes were starting to fill with tears… "What if I fail and I can't fix him? Or what if he doesn't wake after the surgery is over? Or… Or what if he dies because of my machines?"

"Okay, what if he does?"

Lisa looked up at her father, thoroughly confused. "Then I would have failed. Not only him, but you and mom and my sisters and all of our friends and family… It would be entirely my fault…"

"Failed? Your fault? Come on Lisa, you are too smart for that. You weren't the one that hit Lincoln with a car, nor were you the one to put him in a coma… You are however, the one that is trying to save him."

Lisa turned her head in surprise as her mother stepped up beside the chair, giving her a small, sad smile. "But… But It'll be my fault if I fa…"

"Lisa, don't even say it. We all know you are capable of succeeding at whatever you set your mind to. It's just who you are. But what if you fail? Will we blame you for it? Of course not you silly nerd."

Lisa looked over her shoulder as Lynn leaned over the chair, giving her a serious look. Lisa opened her mouth to respond, but once more she was cut off before she could get out even utter a word.

"Look Lisa, will we be sad if you fail? Of course, but don't think for a second that we will blame you for it. The only thing we can ask of you is to continue to try your best. Really, we couldn't ask for anything more."

Lisa sighed as Luna came around to stand in front of her. "But I don't want to lose Lincoln… I would give up all of my achievements and intelligence as long as I knew it would make it so that Lincoln would wake up and be fine…"

"Lisa… We all feel that way and we have all had those thoughts. We would all give everything just to have Lincoln home and it's alright to be afraid. We are all scared. We have all lost sleep because of bad dreams or because of worry. And it's alright. It is normal. It's okay to be scared or worried because you might not succeed, but do not under any circumstance think that you failed us, nor Lincoln…"

Lisa turned her head to look at Luan, who had come to stand up next to Lynn. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted as Lucy popped up between them.

"Because as long as you tried your best and as long as you love Lincoln, then we couldn't ask for more. We love you, Lincoln loves you and as long as we are here for each other, then we can get through all of this. Together."

Lisa sighed as the rest of her sisters moved to stand around the chair. They didn't say anything… But they didn't have to… She already knew what they wanted to tell her… "I… I'm not going to pretend like I'm not scared anymore… And even if none of you can come into the operating room with me… I guess I feel better knowing that you are all here for me now and that you will be in the hospital with me… I… I don't think I could do this alone… I mean, this is the obvious fact that I will have a team helping me, as I am not legally allowed to do this alone… But still… _Sigh… _I am unsure how to say what I wish to say in a way that you would understand…"

"You mean, like in spirit? And besides, you can't be alone. Lincy will be in there with you."

Lisa raised a brow at Leni, not fully sure what to think of what she had just said… But then a small smile crept onto her face… "Hmm… Yeah, I guess you are right… Lincoln will be there… I mean, that is pretty obvious… But it does help to know that it is Lincoln… He makes me feel…"

"Safe?"

"Comfortable?"

"Warm?"

"Loved?"

Lisa nodded as her sisters named off a few emotions. "Yeah… All of those… Thank you for assisting me in my state of worry… It is… Pleasing to know that you all believe in my abilities and that you all trust me with this task… No… I don't think task is the right word… But regardless, thank you for the emotional support… I… I'm glad to know that you all care so deeply for me and I promise to try my best…"

Lisa let out a sigh as her family moved to hug her, but she made no attempt to complain. She just felt that as long as she had her family by her side, even if it was in a metaphorical way, that is for the surgery, then she would be fine…

She didn't know how it would go. She did not know if she would succeed. She did not know what the future held… But what she did know, is that as long as she tried her best, she wouldn't be failing her family, nor her friends, nor herself… And most of all, she wouldn't be failing Lincoln…

* * *

(**11:30**)

Things had started out pretty rough, especially when the Louds first went in to see Lincoln before the surgery started. He had been hooked up to various machines and had all kinds of tubs and wires going into him or attaching to him… The scariest being the tubes going down his throat, but after a quick explanation from Lisa, they learned that they were just feeding and air tubes, which would be removed after the surgery and that by tomorrow, Lincoln would be able to eat normal food again. Though, she doubted he would be eating anything too hearty, as it had been a few days since he had gotten a decent meal…

After the initial shock was over and everyone had calmed down, the Louds spent a good fifteen to twenty minutes with Lincoln before he and Lisa went off to the O.R. While they were all thrilled to have been able to have seen him for the first time in days, none of them were happy about having to leave his side…

After watching Lincoln getting taken away with Lisa and the legs, a nurse came in to lead the Louds to a waiting room. One that had been specially set aside for the day, specifically for the Louds.

Much to everyone's surprise, the room had been set up with a small table, with an assortment of snacks and drinks. There were small snacks, like chips and some bars of chocolate, which was quickly devoured… But there were also things like cookies and some fruit. As for drinks, there was the usual things that you would find in a hospital, such as apple and orange juice, but there was also a couple of cases of soda. And not the gross, sugar free kind either.

Apparently some of the nurses and doctors that had been taking care of Lincoln had gotten together and decided to get a few things to help the Loud family relax and to stay comfortable during Lincoln's surgery. It truly touched their hearts.

* * *

**(1:00 PM)**

After the couple of hours, a nurse came in, asking them if they needed anything. In response, the Louds claimed that they were all set and they truly were. The only thing that they asked for was to know how the surgery was going and how Lisa was doing. The nurse told them that he would go and check.

About fifteen minutes passed before the man came back holding an arm load of board games and a couple of puzzles. He set them on a table coffee table next to the couch that most of the Louds were sat at before informing them that the surgery was going well, Lisa was doing well and that it was just going to take a while. He told them that they should play a game or do a puzzle to help pass the time and left.

* * *

**(4:00 PM)**

After another couple of hours of doing nothing but the occasional snacking and talking, along with the sounds of texting from Lori and Luna, things had started to drag on and it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl…

Much to the surprise of none, it was Lynn who cracked first. It started with her simply tapping her foot for twenty minutes, until she got too restless to sit anymore and started to pace the floor…

It actually amused Luan immensely. She hadn't seen Lynn move this much in over a week… it was actually nice to see a little bit of the old Lynn again... She always would pace like this when she was deep in thought… it was actually kind of funny…

"Lynn, why not take a break before you wear a hole in the ground?"

Lynn pause just long enough to give Luan a look, then immediately started to pace again. "Sorry… I… I can't…"

Luan raised a brow in confusion. "What do you mean you can't? You've been sitting and relaxing all week. I don't think sitting still for another couple of hours is going to kill you."

Lynn just shook her head and Luan's brow raised when she noticed a small blush appearing on her face…

"I… you wouldn't understand…"

Luan frowned as Lynn continued to pace and she noticed that some of her other sisters had turned their heads to look at Lynn, obviously just as confused as herself… Luan sighed as she pulled herself to her feet and started for Lynn.

She stepped in front of her just as she turned to start another lap of pacing, making her stop. "Lynn, what's going on? I haven't seen you pace this much since the Detroit Pistons lost last year's game…"

Lynn crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a sigh. "I just… It's… It's stupid…"

Luan stepped closer to Lynn, giving her a curious look. "Hey, it's okay. You can tell me, I won't judge you…"

Lynn frowned, looking down at the floor. "It's just… It's for good luck, okay? I hate just sitting here while Lincoln is in surgery. I can't to a damn thing to help him and… I don't know, I guess that I feel like that as long as I pace, it's helping… I know it's stupid, but it helps me relax…"

Luan sighed before putting on a gentle smile and leaning in to hug her younger sister. "It's not stupid. It's actually really sweet that you want to help. I know it's not much, but I'll tell you what, if I pace with you for a little while, what would you say about playing a game with me? Maybe we can even get one or two of our other sisters or mom or dad to going us…"

Luan pulled away from Lynn just enough to give her a questioning look, waiting for an answer. Slowly, Lynn started to nod… "Yeah… Sure, that sounds good… I.. I'll try not to beat you guys too hard…"

Luan couldn't help but to smile at that. While Lynn sounded genuine about trying to not win every game, Luan could hear a slight challenging tone to her voice. It was so slight that she wasn't sure if Lynn even noticed it…

"Great, now let's get going. I bet I can get from this side of the room to the other in less steps than you…"

Lynn grinned at her, a slight fire sparking in her eyes at the challenge. "Oh? You're on…"

Luan grinned back as Lynn started across the room, stretching her legs to take the most distance with the least amount of steps as she could. It was rather amusing when she thought about it. Lynn may be faster that she was… But Luan had longer legs…

* * *

**(5:47 PM)**

Lori sighed as she lost the fourth game of "Sorry" in a row. After a rather amusing competition to see who could cross the floor with the fewest steps possible between Lynn and Luan, which Lynn had lost… Twice… Lori had agreed to join in on a board game.

Between her, Lynn and Luan, they had needed a fourth player. Since Lily was too young, the twins and Leni had fallen asleep and their parents had flat out refused to play, it was left to Luna, who only needed slight convincing to join the game…

Now, again after losing, it was onto Lynn and Luan to play against each other, as Luna had been the first to lose that round. Not wanting to get in the way of the rather serious, yet light hearted game, Lori slid away from the game board to check on Luna, who looked rather lost in thought.

Sliding next to her, Lori gave Luna a curious look. She hadn't even noticed yet… "Hey Luna, how's it goin?"

Luna jumped a little as Lori spoke, making Lori raise a brow. "What's going on? Missing Sam?"

Luna gave a small nod before moving her eyes to meet Lori's. "Yeah… I mean, I've been texting with her all evening… But I really would love it if she was here… I guess I'm just nervous about how the surgery is going. I mean, I know everything is going to be just fine… I just hate waiting. Lynn was right, just sitting around sucks…"

"Lori sighed, giving her a nod. "Yeah… It really does…"

"Yeah… So… How's Ronnie Anne and Bobby taking this whole thing? They can't be any worse than Clyde and his dads. They've texted me over a dozen times in the last hour alone."

Lori could help but to chuckle slightly, making Luna sigh. "No, they really can't be that bad… But I guess it's expected with all things considered. They really do like Lincoln… But no, Ronnie and Bobby only message me a couple of time every hour each. Though, they have gotten a bit restless, but again, with all things considered…"

Luna nodded, turning her head to give Lynn and Luan a quick look. "Yeah… All things considered…"

"Ehem… Excuse me, is this the Loud family?"

The room went silent, Luna trailed off and Lori's head snapped around as they heard their last name getting called… standing in the doorway, was an unfamiliar looking, female Doctor. As soon as they all saw her, those that were awake, jumped to their feet, waking the others, save for Lily. As soon as they saw that something was happening, they all scrambled up to their feet as well…

Lori immediately started towards the woman with Luna close on her heals and Lynn was not far behind, with Luan and the others following. Before they even got to the woman, Lori knew what she was going to say…

"Hello, My name is Doctor Cain. I'm sure you recognize my name, as my husband has been your son's primary doctor since his arrival. I am sure you are all curious as to how things are going… Well, I am here to reassure you that after a near five and a half hour surgery, our team is proud to inform you that Mr. Lincoln Loud is doing just fine. About ten minutes ago, Professor Loud's procedure went off without a hitch. The new legs are fully attached and are completely incorporated into his bone structure and nervous system…"

* * *

**Lynn** had to force her legs to follow the same speed as the rest of her family as they followed the doctor down a series of halls… And she could tell from the stiff legged movements of her sisters, they were all doing the same thing… the doctor was walking too damn slow…

She couldn't believe it… She really couldn't believe it… It was happening… It was finally happening…

Lynn grinned. She couldn't help it. She was just too damn happy… She didn't even care that she was starting to cry… She was just… She just couldn't… It was so…

"Dude…_ Sniffle…_ Lynn, if you smile any wider, you're going to tear your face…"

Lynn turned her head to look at Luna, keeping her smile when she saw that Luna was grinning just as much. "I don't care. We have been waiting for this for so long and… And it's finally happening. I mean, it's really happening…"

Luna let out a chuckle, moving her hand to pat Lynn's back. "I know… this is the greatest day of my life… I honestly didn't think this was going to come for a while… But now…"

Lynn nodded, continuing to smile as she looked down at Lucy, who was walking with a slight bounce to her step. Even she was smiling.

"Yeah… I think this day is the happiest for many… Have you told Sam yet? Or the McBrides?"

Lynn could have sworn that Luna's smile got bigger as soon as the question was out of her mouth…

"Yeah dude. I texted them both and well to keep things short, they were all thrilled… Sam demanded pictures all of us hugging him and the McBrides want a group photo."

Lynn let out a happy sigh. "It's nice to know that we have such great friends. I be Clyde is going crazy right now… Oh… Hey Lori, have you told Ronnie and Bobby yet?"

Lynn and Luna turned their heads towards Lori, who was busy texting. For a moment Lynn wasn't sure if she had heard her, but she soon put her phone down, giving Lynn a massive grin. "Oh, you bet. Bobby just texted me saying that Ronnie has been begging him to drive her here since I told him."

Lynn let out a small chuckle at that. "Cute. Funny to think that she went from shoving sandwiches down his pants to being his second best friend. Heck, she even tried running away just to see him."

Lori nodded before looking back down at her phone. "Yeah, it is. Lincoln really means a lot to her, after all, he was the first friend she ever had…"

"Ehem… Sorry to interrupt your little discussion, but we are here."

Lynn, Luna, Lori and all the others grew still as Dr. Cain stopped in front of a closed door. They all grew completely silent as the doctor put her hand to the door… They held their breath as she turned the knob… and then the door swung open…

The room was quiet save for the steady beep of a heart monitor… From where she stood, Lynn noticed a few things… The first, was the completely exhausted Lisa sleeping in one of the chairs in the room. She was still dressed in the hospital scrubs, which quite frankly, was freaking adorable concidering that they were quite large on her…

The second thing Lynn noticed was the white haired figure laying in the bed hooked to the heart monitor…

The third thing she noticed was the two, very noticeable lumps under the blankets where there had been none hours prior…

The fourth and last thing, Lynn didn't notice until she placed a single foot into the room… And when she saw it, she knew it would be something that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life… and it made her burst into tears of joy… Lincoln's eyes slowly blinked open… and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and she knew that nothing would ever compare… Lincoln, was awake…

* * *

**A/N**

Well, I managed to get the next chapter out in less than a month. Barely, but I did. This chapter is by far the longest and took the most amount of work to produce.

I know some people are going to question how quickly I had Lincoln wake, but believe me, as someone that has had numerous surgeries and procedures, I can say with great confidence, that it is not too overly exaggerated. As for the rest of the chapter, please let me know what you think and if you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to ask.

Thank you for reading and as always, have a good one. ^_^


	16. Important Autor's Note Please Read

I don't think I can write fanfiction anymore.

I really enjoyed writing and I love the stories I started, but some of you are miserable bastards.

Most of you are great and supportive. But there is a rather large amount of people that wont stop PMing me, asking me to write them inappropriate things involving minors or people asking me to change my story to fit what they want. There are other reasons of course, but these are among the most prevalent.

The biggest problem, is that they have ruined The Loud House for me.

I don't want to stop writing, as I have put a lot of work into my stories, but I can't really write about something I have started to dislike. I love The Loud House as a show, but the fandom isn't really something I feel like I can be apart of anymore. Not to mention the shear amount of NSFW content there is and the amount that people want me to make.

The amount of people that I have had to block on my twitter alone is ridiculous.

To those of you who have done nothing wrong, I am truly sorry. I know I said I would finish my stories, but I just can't be apart of something I don't support. And if I do not enjoy something, I can not focus my attention into it. You all deserve better. You deserve a good story. At this time, I don't think I can deliver my best work. I truly hope, perhaps in the future, I can come back to my stories and finish them. I suppose, for now at least, this is Goodbye.

Thank you for your time and I truly am sorry.

-Raven MacBeth


End file.
